Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"I'm being what ?!"

The Watchers' sanctuary was more lively than it had been in the past ages. The circle of the winged creatures gathered in the middle chamber, ready to discuss the most pressing matters. Not all of them seemed happy about what was being talked about. Especially one of them. The sound of ruffled feathers crossed the aether around them.

"Martyn, this is instrumental for our cause" one of the figures spoke up, turning towards the man. His big wings supported a few shades of purple, in difference to the other beings - most of them had one or two-toned wings. The halo around his head also shined the brightest. "These Listeners need our guidance. We've formed the Alliance with them centuries ago, yet they do very little to pull their weight. They need leadership. They need you, Martyn."

"You think I wanna lead a buncha lazy morons?" Martyn scoffed, the wings covering his eyes twitching with nervousness. "And do you have to demote me for that? They may listen to me more if they see that I'm a Watcher!"

"They don't exactly trust our kind..." another Watcher spoke up in a more feminine, yet slightly rigid voice. "If they just go there and start commanding them, they might spite us even more. What we need is subtlety."

"Okay, but why me? I haven't done anything wrong so that you have to punish me now!"

"Don't think of it as punishment. Rather as... A change in your work. Don't you want to aid our cause?"

The man rolled his eyes and stepped down from his place. All of the Watchers twitched at once, as if the movement shook them from their shared trance. All of their covered stares turned towards the blond Watcher, who turned on them and headed down one of the corridor. With the circle broken, their discussions had to come to an end. But it didn't mean the whole topic was finished.

"What do you want, Xelqua?" Martyn grumbled as he noticed one of the Watchers following him. "I told you. I'm not doing it."

"You really think this is negociable?" the Watcher uncovered his face and rolled his eyes. His apperance made him look relatively young, despite being eons in age, most likely. His round, upturned nose covered in freckles and deep blue eyes were almost reminescent of a child, or at least a young adult. They definitely looked younger than Martyn, as well as less experienced - although the appeances were quite deceiving in terms of their kind. "You're lucky we're asking you. But you're my friend, so I want to at least make it seem like you can choose."

"Woooow, I feel soooo loved here" the blond Watcher scoffed "Leave me alone, 'kay? I'm going back to my quarters. Don't follow me."

"Don't have to. You think I don't look after my friends?"

Martyn froze in place. Well, the Watchers' job and whole life purpose was watching other being, mostly people, and recording their every move, every decision, every expression... With one exception.

"What? We can't use our powers on each other, you know that!-"

"Shhhh! Shut it!" Xelqua lunged forward and covered Martyn's mouth with his hand. He then playfully smirked "So what? I'm an elder, what are they gonna do? Give me a slap on the wrists? Relax!"

"Just because you are an elder, doesn't mean you should do it, idiot" Martyn rolled his eyes, clearly getting fed up with his antics. "We have a job to do, and you spying on your brothers and sisters doesn't help in the slightest."

"Martyn, Martyn, Martyn... Have you always been so uptight?" the Watcher playfully poked him in his side "You weren't like this during Project Evo... Hey, besides, wanna hear about my newest project?"

"I- First of all, I'm not uptight. I'm disciplined. Second, Evo was ages ago. People change."

"Yeah, people do. But do we change? I've been the same for the past millenia and I'm feeling great!"

"Hooray" Martyn rolled his eyes, after finally uncovering them. His face also didn't tell his age clearly, but he did look older than Grian. His blue eyes looked tired and focused. Yet this time, they also showed the tiniest hint of vulnerability. "Are you sure you don't want to have someone else be turned into a Listener? You know I'm not cut out for this job... They're just so..." he twirled his hand, trying to find the right words. "Carefree. And I don't even know any of them!"

"Oh, you will get to know them, eventually. And a change of scenery will help you stop being so sheltered!" 

"I..." Martyn groaned with frustration and closed his eyes, then covered them yet again with the smaller wings. "Like I said, I'm going back to my quarters. Don't follow me. And don't watch me!"

Xelqua laughed as his friend left him behind. The blond Watcher rolled his eyes, then entered one of the infinite doors of the sanctum's corridors.

The Watchers sanctuary was a special place, by which a normal human's mind would quickly get confused by. The endless corridors looped on one another, leading into middle chamber - or chambers, nobody really knew whether there actually was more than one. All of the halls looked the same, adorned by simple carvings showing eras long gone or yet to come. They towered over even the tallest of the Watchers, as if reminding them of how small they actually are - or at least should be. It didn't work all that well. All the doors looked the same, with no distinct elements - simple, plain, made of wood that had a color of a ripe plum. So how did they tell their quarters apart? They didn't - the space warped around their minds and entering any of the doors led them to the places they needed. Only in the sanctuary, of course. Most Watchers didn't like leaving this place - and even if they didn, not a lot of them were permitted to do so. Martyn used to be one of them, but that was years upon years ago. Now, he only observed from the distance as other Watchers ventured out. Not like he minded it. He was the type to sit and analyze, not to run around and fight.

As he entered his quarters, he saw exactly what he expected to see every day, every week, every month, every decade. A small room in the shape of a square, with walls in the same color as all of the corridors. There were not many things of note - no real furniture, no visible trinkets, no signs of anyone really living there. Most things were attached to the walls or floor, as if to prevent them from moving or changing. At the centre of the room, there was a small round podium, barely a foot tall. It was carved out of stone, with no decoration or even a step to make it easier to get up. The material was cold and smooth, worn out over the millenia. There were a few protruding overhangs at different heights, letting the Watcher rest high above the ground. They were also, however, made of stone, which meant they were not the most comfortable. The Watcher used three of them interchangeably, while the fourth one hid all of the items he gathered from his infrequent trips to anything outside of the sanctum. For a moment, he flew up and landed on the overhang, taking a quick glance at the items.

A small wooden sign, contents of which faded over the years. A few leaves, which refused to crumble into dust despite their dryness. A flower crown, which carries a scent his senses had long forgotten. A long piece of grey fabric, torn on the edges and brittle from its age. It definitely served a purpose in the past, but right now, there was no way for Martyn to recall it. He only looked at his possessions for a few moments, before flying down again. He didn't like staring at them for too long. It made him feel like he was forgetting something - like all of these items meant something to him in the past, but he couldn't recall what exactly. He softly landed on the podium, then covered his eyes again and opened his wings, ready to serve his duty yet again.

Technically, Watchers were not allowed to have favorite humans to spy on. That rule however, in constrast to the rule about spying on other Watchers, was often broken - and they hardly ever hid that. The Watchers may have been primodial, eldritch beings made to observe events. Yet, some of the humans were just too endearing not to get attached too. And Martyn, fortunately or not, was also not immune to this strange attraction. It's not like he craved to meet that human in person, or talk to them, or have anything to do with them. It was just their charisma, their warm voice and their enthusiasm which made his task at least a bit more enjoyable.

As he took on his stance, it only took him a few moments to start seeing the surroundings of an entirely different world. He was standing - or at least the perspective suggested him that - on a vast desert, the warm, golden sand surrounding him from every direction. It was not only the sand he could see, however. The human he took such a liking to did not waste any of his precious, fleeting seconds to transform the place into what looked like a real city, complete with strange looking buildings of sandstone. Despite having no inhabitants, the area felt lively. One reason could've been that its creator itself put so much of his own soul into his creation, that it felt like the most real thing in the world, despite being just a building project.

Martyn couldn't help but smile when he noticed the human emerge from one of the buildings, he immediately turned towards them. They were clearly talled than him and more muscular. They only halfway resembled a human, with their other half reminescent of a canine. That made him seem more approachable and, so to say, fluffy? A few times in the past, Martyn caught himself longing to stroke the soft fur on the man's dog-like ears. But it wasn't possible. All he could do was stare... And there was a lot to stare at. Their shirt was half undone, showing off their muscular physique. The curious, blue eyes were hiding behind a pair of sunglasses, but every time the glassess slid off, the man's inquisitive stare pierced right through Martyn. It was as if they knew he was around... But they couldn't and there was no way for the Watcher to signify his presence. Not that he could. Nor would he be allowed to do so. All he was permitted to do was longingly stare and record all of the man's actions... It made him kind of ashamed, that he couldn't even recall their name...

Suddenly, another person flew from up in the sky. Martyn flinched and perked up his head, knocking himself out of the trance he entered for just a few seconds. He loved seeing this human interacting with others. Not only was it his boundless energy and his magnetic personality, but the bare fact of being able to talk to someone about the most basic of things... It always allured the Watcher. He soundlessly approached the two humans.

"Keralis! What's happenin' baby?" the half-dog man called out with a big, welcoming smile. Martyn rubbed his cheeks, as if hiding the blush that appeared on them in just a second. Not like it would make a difference, he wasn't the one being watched.

"Ren! Sweetface, finally found you!" the man named Keralis answered, landing softly next to his friend. He spoke with a funny, memorable accent. So the canine man was named Ren... This time, Martyn just had to remember it. "Listen, I love your face, and I would just come here to stare at it- But! I need your help with something. Remember that little IOU of yours I got?"

"Oh gosh, here we go..." Ren rolled his eyes and chuckled, then crossed his arms on his chest. "Whaddya want, man?"

The Watcher carefully approached them. It felt weird, sneaking up on them like that - it wasn't like they could even see him. Even so, it made him feel safer, more in control. Then, as he usually did, he positioned himself right in front of Keralis, face to face with Ren. Their heights didn't match up exactly, but it was close enough for what he needed. It really made him feel like the canine was talking to him.

"I knew you'd help me, sweetface! Anywho... I need a lot of sand for my next skyscraper. And I need it fast. But, but! It's not like I'm making you gather all this sand for me, y'know? I'll go with you and help you with my charming presence!"

"Oh, hooray" Ren smirked and rolled his eyes, although he was clear he was fine with the deal. Martyn let out a silent chuckle. "Alright dude, I guess you gotta use up that IOU on somethin'. But, didn't X say we'll be moving out soon?"

"Oh, you know how Shwammy is, he says a lot of things! And I'm sure he'll let me finish just one more skyscraper!" Keralis added, his voice half goofy, half seductive. Whoever that 'Shwammy' person was, they must've really liked each other. "So, are you in or not, sweetface?"

"Well, of course! But, are we heading out now? I was kinda, uhm, busy..."

"Yes, please!" Keralis grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away, ruining Martyn's illusion of being face to face with his favorite human. He could always just chase after them, keep on repositioning himself and pretend like he was part of the conversation, part of that world, part of whatever these humans had going on that made them so interesting to him-

But then, he heard a short, sharp sound of whistling. He knew what that meant; he was needed in the sanctum. He took one last longing glance at his person, before shaking off the trance and stepping off the pedestal. He took one last glance at the room, as if he expected to not see it again anytime soon. Before the whistle could ring in his ears again, he opened the door and entered the corridor.

A few other Watchers joined him on his way to the middle chamber. His mind couldn't decide whether it made him feel more reassured or more anxious. Maybe it wasn't about his demotion ... It must've been some kind of less pressing matter, right? They needn't this many people to deal with him, right? Martyn carefully poked around, his eyes obviously hidden. He didn't know most of these beings, he wasn't sure who he could show his true face to. If they didn't initiate eye contact, neither should he.

As they all approached the middle chamber, Martyn could feel the tension in the air. Something was different- no. Something was wrong . And he hated that feeling. He wanted to turn back, but the crowds of Watchers blocked the way to his quarters. He could feel his breathing getting shallow and quick and his whole body stiffening, as if ready to pounce. It's all okay , he tried convincing himself. They wouldn't do it. I'm one of them. They wouldn't just dump me like that ... Would they...? He took a deep breath, trying to steady his thoughts. He had a habit of overthinking things, and right now, it wasn't helpful in the slightest.

The moment Martyn arrived, all of the Watchers acted seemingly in unison. A few rings of them formed around the anxious Watcher, blocking him any exists, any ways to run or flee- aside from one. One wall was not covered by them- or at least a place where a wall should be. Martyn distinctively remembered that there should be a wall. Now, instead, there was a gaping hole in the wall, as if its very fabric was ripped out of existence. The only thing that could be seen beyond was pure, unfiltered nothing . The apperance of the fabric of everything there wasn't and wouldn't be made his skin crawl. The void wasn't just staring back at him - it was pulling on his soul, making him feel smaller, meeker and quieter with each passing milisecond. He opened his wings as a means of defense and looked around himself.

"W-what's going on? What is that place?" he huffed, clearly startled.

"That is The Midway" he heard Xelqua's voice just behind him. The voice was accompanied by the other Watchers' hands on his shoulders. "It keeps all the worlds connected, yet separate. You should count yourself lucky. Not many lives get to witness it in all of its glory."

"Wait... Wait, is this still about the whole Listener thing?" he nervously chuckled and moved away from Xelqua, his whole body starting to shake. "You said it's not a punishment, but it feels like one! What are you tryna do with me?"

"Oh, y'see... This is the shortest way between our sanctum and the Listeners' lair. But it is long enough for you to appear there in your rightful new form. And maybe think of a good welcoming speech as you get there."

"New form?- No, you can't do it! I'm a Watcher, too! You can't just throw me into the void and expect me to be chill with this!"

The Watchers started closing in on Martyn. He wanted to open his wings even more, but something out of his control made them feel too stiff to move. He started backing away, trying to not look at the nothingness behind him. It was getting too close, way too close. He could almost feel its freezing breath on his spinal cord. Xelqua approached him and grabbed him by a wing.

"No worries, you're gonna like it there! I hope..." he shrugged his arms. Martyn huffed, trying to pleade to him for the last time.

"Xelqua, think about this... We're friends, aren't we? You remember Project Evo, right? And now you're just gonna throwing it away?!"

"Oh, I'm not throwing it away. We need to throw away you."

Suddenly, the ground ended under the terrified Watcher's feet. He almost tripped, but he was only saved from falling by Xelqua, who pulled him by his wings. It made Martyn wince in pain, but at least it was better than being dropped right into The Midway-

Then, Xelqua let go.

The shock of the situation sent Martyn tumbling back and falling right into the void. The first few seconds, it felt like he was watching everything in slow motion. The hundreds of Watchers' hidden eyes stared at him, some of them even uncovering their faces. Then, just when the panic finally spread throught his nervous system, his whole body was overwhelmed with pain. The wings on his back and on his temples started burning, crumbling and turning into dust. Like an angel, cast away from heaven and sent to fend on his own. He opened his mouth to scream, yet he couldn't. The nothingness seeped into his mouth and into his lungs, drawing out any and all possible sounds that could come from him. All he could do was watch .

Watch as his vital parts of his body blew away, his feathers turning into nothing but ash.

Watch as his home, his sanctum slowly got smaller and smaller, as he got further and further away.

Watch as his whole being, his soul, was being consumed by the everlasting and everpresent abyss.

Martyn closed his eyes, helpless to scream, move- to even think.

He expected to see but darkness... Yet, he didn't. The moment he closed his eyes, it felt like he actually opened them - seemingly for the first time in his life. He was flashed with a feast of colors that his brain never thought possible. He experienced sounds that his ears couldn't registered - but his skin, his muscles, every fiber of his being felt them a thousnd times over. He saw everything that there ever was to see. He saw darkness, light and every shade of grey between. Life, death, love and hatred, trust and betrayal. Up was mixing with down, left was becoming right and then left again. He saw all the faces that there were to see, to meet, to talk to, to experience- And then...

There had never been words invented to explain what he then lived through. It was like he was submerged in a ceaseless pool of knowledge, that leaked into his body any way it could. An ocean of knowing, that for just a second, he became a part of. Everything there was to gather throught milions of experiences, in bilions of lives... All of this found its way into his brain, to implant iself in there. At this point, the boundary of conciousness and passivity ceased to exist. All Martyn could do was to be. And hope that wherever he ended up, he could find answers to the infinite number of questions that in that instant crossed his mind.

Chapter Text

The wave of unending knowledge, however, did not break Martyn's fall. His body, soul and essence came into a sudden stop as he hit the ground- which turned out surprisingly soft. His crash knocked him out for a few moments (minutes? Days?) before he managed to finally open his eyes again. 

Any kind of movement sent bolts of pain through his body - especially his back and his head. The remnants of his wings burned down on his way there, but the phantom pain remained. Martyn groaned from pain and reached out his hand, then rubbed it against his face, as if to regain feeling there. It was strange, not to feel the wings hiding his eyes. Instead, there was some kind of thick fabric, which loosely covered his mouth and nose. It didn't obstruct his breathing or speaking, however. 

"What the h- Where am I...?"

"Hey, there's someone there!" he heard someone over his head. A few pairs of quick footsteps approached and circled him. The sudden reminder of what he just experience send him jumping back in shock, trying to stretch out his freshly ripped out wings to appear bigger and more threatning. "Hello!"

"Stay back!- Ouch!" he huffed and clutched his head, which started aching like crazy. It almost caused him to fall to the ground. He felt even more startled when the creatures around him started closing in on him. With no way to obscure his eyes, he covered them with his hands. "I shouldn't be here!"

"Hey, hey, dude, it's fine, really..." he heard someone slowly approach him, trying to calm him down. A long, warm hand landed on his wrist. "You're safe here. C'mon, hiding your eyes won't help you here..." he added with a playful chuckle.

After a moment of hesitation, Martyn slowly uncovered his eyes. The first thing he saw was a Listener, standing right in front of him. Half of their face was obscured by their tall collar, but the other half showed a pair of big, oak-colored eyes and messy blond hair. Their long, pointy ears tweaked with excitement at the sight of a new potential friend... After a moment, their eyes widened.

"Wait, I know you! I've seen you during Project Evo!" he smiled brightly. "Remember me? I'm Jimmy!"

"Jimmy...?" Martyn groaned and rubbed his eyes, trying to clear his mind. His thoughts were racing around his head, as if there was not enough space for them to fit in. He was hypervigilant about his surroundings, every sensory experience flowing through him and giving him new information. And it was getting really overwhelming. He huffed and rubbed his eyes, trying his best to calm down. It was difficult, however. The ex-Watcher tried his best to recall the name, but he couldn't get through the dense forest of the thoughts and experiences that plagued his mind. Why couldn't he just focus?

"Yeah! It's okay if you don't remember... You took a pretty big hit on the way here" Jimmy chuckled, then moved back a bit, letting the other Listeners take a look at their new friend. "C'mon, I'll show you 'round, okay? You can choose your own branch... Or you can stay with me for now!"

"My own... Branch...?"

Martyn looked up, his eyes widening at the sight. The soft ground he landed on turned out to be a thick coat of grass, covering the land. It was so high it reached almost up to their waists. But the grass wasn't the only abnormally big growth around. Only a few hundred feet in front of them, an enormous tree reached out into the sky. Its top was not visible to them from the ground. Their branches were lit up by hundreds, thousands of tiny lights. And the longer Martyn looked, the more he Listeners he noticed on top of and around the tree. They were sitting together, talking and even... Playing with each other? The ex-Watcher scrunched his nose. Watchers never played with each other... The most entertainment they could get from each other was from simple conversations. Especially by complaining about Listeners, how lazy and inconsiderate they were... These thoughts came racing back into his mind, the very second he wanted to say something appreciative of his new surrounding.

"What is this? It looks so... The Watchers' sanctum looks nothin' like that" he muttered and rubbed his temples again. He felt something wet and sticky, dripping from small wounds where his minor wings were supposed to be. 

"It doesn't? Great!" Jimmy smiled brightly "Cuz it ain't! This is our lair! We call it 'The Tree". C'mon, I'll show you around!"

Martyn took a first hesitant step forward. His body suddenly felt so much lighter, without the giant, feathered wings on his back and heavy, flowy robes that Watchers wore. He didn't have the time to look at his new clothing, but he could feel them being more fitting and less intricate. Being able to easily move was right, but his brain still tried makig excuses to hate it.

"How are we even supposed to get up there? This thing is huge..." Martyn huffed, catching up to the Listener.

"Well, you can climb it like a loser... Or you can go the cool way" Jimmy smirked. Suddenly, Martyn felt someone poke him on his left shoulder. Wait, but Jimmy was on his right... He turned his head and jerked back, startled by a black, ribbon-like appendage which was pointing right at him. The other Listener started laughing, seeing his friend get scared so easily. "You're sucha scaredy cat... You have a tail like that too! Make good use of it!"

"I do?" Martyn tilted his head, then spun around on his heel to see it. Obviously, he couldn't catch up to his own back, which also caused Jimmy to giggle. "Oh don't laugh you jerk! Help a man out, wouldya?"

"Fine, fine" Jimmy smirked. Suddenly, the ex-Watcher felt something pull on his back - or more so, like there was a sudden extension to his spinal cord, that his new friend pulled on. He let out a sudden startled hiss. "What? You asked me to help, I'm helpin!"

The sudden, unexpected feeling caused Martyn to trip over his own feet and fall to the ground again. He groaned with frustration, hiding his face in his hands again. He felt like a little kid, unable to grasp the whole situation, his surroundings, even his own body - and it caused his anxiety to grow. He hated all of this. At that very moment, he would've give anything to get back to the sanctum and get his quarters, his robes, his wings and his work - his life back. On one hand, he was on the verge of tears. On the other, he hated the idea of showing them to people he barely knew. They may have had some history, but it didn't make Jimmy any less of a stranger.

"Just... leave me alone" Martyn mumbled, hugging his knees up to his chest. "I hate this place... I wanna go home..."

Jim sighed and sat down next to him. The tip of his tail was gently swaying from side to side. He looked up at the tree, then back at his companion. He wanted to comfort him, but he had no words that could help in that situation. He didn't know how it was, to be cast away from home, abandoned and left to find a new life in a completely different community... He was sure that the Listeners would quickly accept Martyn. But he wasn't certain that it would be mutual.

"Why... Why did they even send you here...?" he asked after a moment. 

Martyn raised his head. His brain was still roaring and swirling, like a hurricane... But that one question offered a small window of silence, right in its eye. He pondered the question for a moment.

"I... I can't remember. I'm not sure if I have ever known..." he whispered, rubbing his temples again. "I... When I fell down The Midway, it felt like... Like it took ages... And at that moment, I felt like I could see everything ... It was... Quite awful, to be honest, but... I think I've seen things I was not supposed to see. Like as if I slipped from out hivemind, by accident..."

"You slipped ? Wait, how?"

Martyn curled up again. It really felt like was in big trouble, or at least will be... 

All the Watchers and Listeners, despite having their own personalities and thoughts, were members of a shaed hivemind. This allowed all of the experiences they saw - of heard - to be stored in this joined conciousness. Their resources were growing and getting bigger and more expansive every day, yet none of the Alliance members - as least to their knowledge - could access more than what they put in. But at that moment, when Martyn was being plunged down The Midway... It felt as he fell right thorugh their conciousness, experiencing all of their shared memories at once. Every face, every movement, every expression there ever was and will be. He shook his head, trying not to get too into his own head. But he felt pulled in, as if his own brain wanted to trap him, force him to analyze every single detail - like he always did. The only problem was that at this moment, there was simply too much for him to analyze. Even for a Watcher's - or Listeners's - immortal life, it would take eons to go through everything.

Simply said, he did not have time for that.

"Don't... Don't tell anyone, please..." Martyn asked him in a pleading tone. "I-it's not like I asked for that! It was probably an accident, and!"

"Don't worry! I ain't no snitch" Jimmy chuckled. "But... You'll share the branch with me. At least until you get used to the place. Okay?"

Martyn sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Fine. I just... Need a moment to close my eyes, and... Think. And not over think. I do that a lot."

"Okay, okay, mister philosopher" Jimmy smirked and swiftly got up from the ground, then reached out to his friend.

The ex-Watcher looked at his friend, but didn't accept the help. The pain in his spine continued, as his tail started finally moving on its own. It looked just like Jimmy's - long, black, kind of resembling a ribbon in its shape. And it seemed quite dexterous. Martyn got caught up in looking at its smooth movement, which felt completely removed from his own body. In a way, it could've been even more useful than wings. Especially since Watchers were usually not great flyers. 

"What can I do with this thing?" he asked, curiosity slowly creeping into his voice. Jim let out an amused chuckle.

"Whatever you want! The only limit is your imagination " the Listener answered in an enthusiastic voice and poked Martyn in his temple. The other man groaned in pain, as Jim accidentally touched his fresh wound. "Really useful while spying on people, and for chilling out here!"

They finally approached the trunk of The Tree. Martyn carefully reached his hand towards the treebark. He couldn't remember the last time he could actually touch something different than the cold, hard rock the sanctum was made from... This was a brand new experience. And he wasn't sure whether he liked it. After a moment of hesitation, his fingers finally rested against the rigid wooden texture. It felt... Nice. Alive. Far from the endless corridors of the sanctuary. Both seemed infinite, ever expanding - but The Tree felt like it wasn't just expanding, it was growing , together with all of its inhabitants. It was breathing with them, hiding them from the world and aiding them in their goal at the same time. It was as if The Tree couldn't exist without its Listeners, and the Listeners needed their lair in its exact way.

"This is... Wow" Martyn whispered and looked up at The Tree again, his tone picking up in pace. "And you guys live here? It's like a shared home, a giant colony, or a-" he then suddenly went quiet. It was not his his home. He shouldn't feel so welcomed here, because he wasn't. He had to focus on finding a way to get out of here. And he couldn't waste his time on something so trivial as a giant tree, growing in the middle of a great nothing. He just rolled his eyes and pulled his hand away.

 "C'mon, I'll show you my branch!" Jimmy grabbed him by the hand to get his attention. His long tail shot up into the sky, its length seemingly not bound by any laws or anatomy or physics. It wrapped itself around one of the branches, and as Jimmy grabbed it, he was pulled up at incredible speed.

"Woah!" Martyn looked after him, an intrigued smile appearing sheepishly on his face. He tried his bet to limit his boundless curiosity, but it was getting tougher and tougher. All of these new experiences were pushing themselves into his eyes and ears, entering his bloodflow and implanting themselves into his brain. And he didn't know whether he liked it.

"C'mon, you can do it!" despite being tens of meters above him, Jimmy's voice somehow reached his new friend. 

Martyn tried his best to repeat the Listener's action, but his body still struggled to listen to him. His tail shot up, wrapped itself around the branch next to Jimmy - and pulled the ex-Watcher with itself. Martyn didn't even have the time to registered what happened, before he crashed right into Jim. The impact pushed both of them off the branch and if it wasn't for Jimmy's quick reflexes to catch himself and Martyn again, they would've fallen to the ground. Both of them took a few startled breaths, until Jimmy started laughing.

"That was awesome! You're doing great, bud!"

"Oh, shut up..." Martyn grumbled under his breath and looked away. He remained quiet as Jimmy pulled himself back up and helped his friend get up.

"I mean it! For someone who just became a Listener, you sure think like one" he pointed out with a satisfied smile.

"No, I don't! And I'm not a real Listener! And I certainly don't think like one!"

"Would a Watcher just blindly try something new? And something they weren't sure they could pull off? Nuh-uh, I don't think so!"

"It's not like that, I just- You did- They- Ughhh ..." the ex-Watcher rolled his eyes, then nonchalantly looked around.

The branch was actually giant, making both of them appear like tiny birds or lizard on its surface. It was thick and sturdy closer to the trunk and got thinner and flimsier as it reached out into the starry sky. It didn't seem to make much of a difference - their weight didn't make it even slightly bend. Jimmy lead Martyn towards a part of the branch that was covered by leaves. It looked incredibly welcoming, almost like a little house, or a shack. Between the leaves and minor branching off twigs, Jimmy made himself a cosy place to live. He had a few warn dens, lined with moss and soft plants. Tiny lights hanged from up above, casting warm light into the place. There very numerouns trinkets and thingamabobs laying and hanging around, making the space feel lived in. Some wooden structures even resembled everyday furniture that Martyn vaguely remembered - a table, three chairs, a few small chests. 

"You can take one of the dens for now! Just don't take the one that has flowers growing on the edges. That one if my favorite."

"Uhhh... Yeah, sure" Martyn nodded, carefully looking around. Without even noticing it, he started fidgeting with his tail. He started taking in his surroundings, overanalying everything and trying to figure out- What was he actually trying to figure out? He constantly felt like there was something missing, something off . Taking in a new enviroment like that was exhausting in a long run, and his brain slowly started giving out. Despite the urge to inspect every single den to figure out the safest and best one, he just plopped down on the nearest one, close to the door. It turned out to be way more comfortable than the stone overhangs of the sanctum.

"And? How does it feel?" Jimmy looked after him, getting into one of the dens that was up above the ground. A bunch of tiny blue flowers bloomed around the edges, making the place look even cosier. 

"Nice... Really nice" Martyn whispered, covering his eyes. "The sanctum isn't even half this comfy..."

"I can imagine... I don't really know how it looks like... Although, I know a few Watchers" Jimmy turned on his back, getting comfy in his spot. Listening to his yapping was more comforting than Martyn expected. "I've heard that one of them is preparing a new project for us! You remember Grian, right?"

"Grian...?" the ex-Watcher scrunched his nose. The name did ring a bell... But he couldn't put a face to the name. Why did it sound so familiar? The more he thought about anything, the more he felt like his head was underwater, slowing his overanalyzing of the whole situation. "I... I'm not sure..."

"Oh well, maybe you'll remember later, you never know! Anyways! You wanna eat somethin'? I grabbed some snacks on my last trips!"

"You-" Martyn at first wanted to protest, but he shut his mouth right away. This place was already weird and chaotic enough, he didn't feel like questioning each time the Listeners broke the rules. On the other hand... Eating sounded nice. He hasn't done it in forever. He didn't have to do it as a Watcher, nor a Listener - only when he rarely took on his human form, he felt the need to do it. But he remembered the action as pleasurable. The more he thought about it, the more he longed for it. "Y-yeah, sure, why not."

Just a second later, an apple dropped on the ground right next to him. His tail shot out on its own and wrapped around the fruit, then pulled it closer to Martyn. The Listener bit into the apple with hunger he didn't even know he possessed. He let out a low, enjoying sound. His mind, still set in his old Watcher ways, immediately made him feel embarassed. He shouldn't do it, he shouldn't just slack off like that...

"I-I need to go back to watchin- Oh. Wait" Martyn whispered, then sighed and put the leftover apple core on the ground. Jimmy smiled and looked down at him.

"I can show you how it works! And I'll show you my favorite place, too!"

"I- Okay, sure... Just don't make this take too long, please..."

Jimmy's tail reached out and intertwined with Martyn's. Both of them started feeling incoming drowsiness. The ex-Watcher tried his best to shake it off, but his whole body was giving out at this point. He barely had the energy to keep his eyes open, let alone get up and start working again... After a few minutes of struggling, he finally gave in and covered his eyes with his forearm, then fell asleep.

But his sleep didn't last long - or at least it didn't feel that way. When Martyn opened his eyes yet again, he found himself sitting on a branch of a tree. Normal sized tree, this time. Jimmy was sitting right next to him, kicking his feet like a little kid sitting on a swing. He looked at his friend and smiled brightly.

"Here we are! He should be around here somewhere!"

"Who...?"

"Tango, my friend!" Jimmy giggled with excitement. "He's so smart, and the funniest guy I know! You're gonna love him!"

Martyn looked around. The tree they were sitting on was in an area that was densly packed with different buildings. It looked so... Familiar... His eyes perked up with excitement. He did recognize it... It was a place he saw a couple of times while watching Ren. Did that mean the canine know this Tango guy, too? Maybe he will get a chance to see him again? His tail started slowly wagging from time to time, getting more and more excited at the prospect.

"There he is! Tango!" Jimmy jumped down the branch and ran towards a short, blond man with striking red eyes. Martyn squealed in horror as he realized what the Listener was doing. "Tango! Hi, man!"

"Jimmy! Get back here! We're not supposed to talk to humans!" Martyn called out in a half-whisper, half-scream, trying to get his attention. He could only hopelessly watch as his friend and his favorite person embraced each other in a tight hug. "Jim! You'll get us in trouble!"

"Jimmy!" Tango rested his head against Jimmy's shoulder, their tails intertwining. It was strange - despite looking mostly human, he did possess a long, thin tail of his own. The longer Martyn looked at him, the more seemingly out of place things he noticed, like a few plumes growing from out of his forehead or scales covering his shoulders. "Good to seeya! I was just working on the soundificator in Decked out! Wanna check it out?"

The Watcher giggled, his ears twitching with excitement and their tips getting slightly red. Just the mere sight of his friend was enough to make him happy, yet alone his sweet, although slightly raspy voice. And him constantly making up words made Jimmy's work so much more fun.

"Of course, yeah! But first, I want you to meet someone. He's another Listener, and he'd love to meechu, I'm sure!"

"Another one, ey? I thought there was enough of you Listenificators?" he smirked, playfully nudging Jimmy's shoulder. The man giggled and looked back at the tree.

"Martyn, c'mere! You'll meet Tango!"

Jimmy could clearly see Martyn on the branch, seemingly frozen in panic. If his brain was a car, it'd be getting a hefty speeding ticket right now - if the engine wasn't aflame already. He never had any idea that he could just do this... Or maybe he couldn't, as a Watcher. Now, as a Listener, it was a real possibility. He could go and meet Tango... Maybe also Ren... But his anxiety wouldn't let him. It kept him glued to the branch, terrified or what might happen, overanalyzing every possibility of things that could go wrong. The other Listener stared at him for a few moments, clearly aware that Tango couldn't see him. Even so, he wished his friend would join him... But couldn't force him to do anything. 

"Okay, okay... Just stay there, okay? I'll go with Tango and then get back to you again. You'll be fine, nobody will see you there."

"So, we goin'?" Tango asked with excitement and pulled Jimmy by the wrist. The Listener unfolded his tall collar, so that it hid the lower part of his face, then followed Tango towards the shoreline.

Martyn looked after them longingly. He wanted to run after them and join them... But the possibility of meeting humans was so fresh in his mind, he felt too scared to act upon it. Instead, he just remained in his place, patiently waiting for Jimmy to come back. That was one thing he was good at, after all.

Chapter Text

The life of a Listener was something that took Martyn a lot of time to somewhat get used to. With seemingly no way to get back to the sanctum, he decided to lay low and not attract too much attention. It was not easy - every time Jimmy pushed him to socialise, the ex-Watcher stood out like a sore thumb. The way Listeners talked, walked, spent time with each other - it all felt foreign. Most of the time he just spent confined to Jimmy's little hideout, watching The Tree and the other Listeners. When he didn't just stare at them for hours, he tried his best to get used to the strange act of listening.

Jimmy took him a couple of times to meet his best human friend. With time, Martyn finally calmed down about the idea of his companion mingling with mortals. Still, his anxiety prevented him from making even a single step to get to reveal himself to Ren. He only appeared to listen to Ren once - but fled quickly, afraid that he's gonna make himself known by accident. It was kinda the point - but it didn't mean that Martyn wasn't scared, regardless. All his existence, he was pushed into following orders and dedicating his every waking moment to the Alliance's cause. And now that he learned that the Listeners freely broke the rules without a fear of punishment, it made him surprised and even more anxious at the same time. Did that mean he could to it, too? Or was it some kinda test, and if he failed, he could no longer go back to being a Watcher?

No matter how hard he tried, he seemed stuck in his old Watcher ways. Listeners took their work more leisurely - they spent a lot of time playing and chatting with each other, they brought items from the worlds they entered and overall seemed to have a good time. It was a hard turn to make. The ex-Watcher was not used to not sitting in his tight quarters for days at a time, or even sleeping or eating. It took his body a while to get used to it. Not as if he needed it for survival, but it did provide a bit of comfort through all of his worries. Despite this work giving him more control over his life and seemingly more fun, he refused to let himself enjoy it. After all, what if one day he was given a chance to go back? What if then he found himself stuck in his newly adapted Listener ways? What if the Watchers saw him change and rejected him? Maybe it was all a big test after all? There had to be a reason he was sent down into the lair, but he couldn't remember. What is there was something he had to do, and they-

"Martyn?" his overthinking came to a screeching halt when Jimmy suddenly touched his arm. The man let out a startled, almost hissing-like sound. However he quickly recomposed himself and fixed his hair, trying to appear calm and collected. "You okay man? You zoned out again..."

"Yes, yes, sorry..." he mumbled and turned on his back, his tail lazily flopping from side to side. "I just got... Lost in thoughts. I do that. A lot."

"I can tell... Anything specific on your mind?" Jimmy asked, then sat down in his own little den. He started picking the little flowers off it and braiding them into a little flower crown. His tail turned out to be incredibly helpful with holding everything together.

"I just... It feels like my mind is just... Overflowing with information" he muttered, starting to fidget with his tail. "I try to relax for a moment, and suddenly I find myself thinking 'bout everything... And I get lost. And it kinda sucks."

"A thinker, aren'tcha?" Jimmy smirked.

"Yeah... Worst of all, some of these thoughts don't even feel like they're mine... As if someone put them in my brain to run free" he chuckled bitterly. He raised his head up to his temples, then winced in pain at the touch. The small wounds from his burned-off wings turned into scars by the time, but they still hurt every now and then.

"Maybe someone did? You never know!"

Martyn smiled, then looked away, trying to wind down for even a second. Jimmy was definitely not the worst company to have around... He was a bit annoying, yes, but he was supportive enough. And he knew a lot about being a Listener. And he didn't make it awkward when Martyn didn't know something about his new species. Instead, he just tried his best to guide and teach him. And best of all, he didn't pry about his life as a Watcher all too much. All in all, it wasn't all that bad.

"Remember when I told you about Grian's new project? He asked me to join it, and I said yes! And I asked him to count you in, too!" he suddenly said.

"W-what? You could've asked, at least!"

"I know, I know, but it'd be cool! I promise! You gotta meet some new people! You just seem so... Sheltered..."

Martyn immediately sat up, his tail straightening.

"I am not sheltered!"

"Oh yeah? Have you talked to that dog dude yet? Hm?"

The ex-Watcher opened his mouth, but then closed it again. Deep down, he knew that Jimmy was somewhat right. His life as a Watcher meant his circle of friends was very slim. And now, when he was separated from all of them, he wasn't eager to make any new ones. But fot some reason, it just felt better to stay alone with his own thoughts than force himself on other people.

"See? And you're gonna meet so many new people in this new project, I'm sure! Like back in Project Evo!"

"Oh, yeah... I almost forgot about it" he briefly chuckled. "But... It's not starting anytime soon, is it...?"

"I dunno..." Jimmy shrugged. "As far as I remember this guy, he loves inconveniencing others. But he's still a good friend!"

"Yeah... Can't wait to meet him..." Martyn whispered and covered his eye with his forearm. "Okay, I'mma try to go and watch someone now. Well, not watch - How do you guys say it?"

The other Listener giggled under his breath.

"You can say it like that. Just because we're not Watchers, doesn't mean we don't use the same words."

Martyn nodded, the explanation not giving him as much peace of mind as he hoped for. He just laid there motionless, trying his best to think about Ren and where he could possibly find and watch him. The way of entering other worlds as a Listener was still weird to him, but he was slowly getting better and better at it. Just like Jimmy said, all he had to do was relax and clear his mind... But his mind felt like a junkyard. That was set on fire. And inhabited by possums. That had rabies. In simpler words, clarity of mind was not something he had an easy time achieving.

Some time passed before Martyn found himself able to pass to the other side. He found himself in the strange, busy idea Jimmy and his friend called the shopping district . Martyn sat on a railing of one of the pathways, looking for Ren. His tail was slowly swaying from side to side. He found that it helped him to focus, at least a little bit. This mindless activity kept his brain at least a little bit occupied, at least as long as-

Then, someone passed right by him.

Martyn almost fell off the railing, but grabbed the wooden fence at the last moment. It was so sudden, so unexpected... And yet, the other person did not see or even notice him. So Jimmy was right... He wouldn't be seen, unless he wanted to. He had no such choice as a Watcher. At least as far as he knew. Still in shock, he looked after the person that passed him by and headed towards the nearest shop.

It must've been Martyn's lucky day.

Ren was heading towards a shop that was just a set of stalls hanging under a giant blimp. The vehicle proudly carried a huge sign saying LOGZ , making it easy to guess what was being sold there. Although, the weird spelling piqued Martyn's curiosity. Still, he followed Ren's step, then quietly followed him along the railing. His tail really helped with keeping balance.

The canine was carrying a few big boxes on his shoulders. Damn, he was actually really chiseled... Martyn immediately found himself blushing at the thought. He pulled up his collar, despite knowing nobody would see him getting all red and swooned over the guy he barely knew. Still, it didn't stop him from approaching Ren. He watched with interest as he started moving the contents of these strong, colorful boxes into the little stalls. There was not much to listen to... But he could at least watch. And that made him feel at least a bit at home. He sighed, looking at the dog's handsome, friendly face. Guessing by how he interacted with his friends, he must be nice... And he looked like he'd give great hugs. And Martyn suddenly felt a pang of neediness, wanting to find that out for himself... Just for a second, to be face to face with the guy he's been silently obsessing over for gods know how long...

"Oh, hi! I didn't even notice you!"

Martyn's ears immediately pinned back, his pupils dilated. His gaze turned to Ren and... He was staring right at him. Not in a way that suggested that he was just looking thought him. He actually saw him . The Listener freezed immediately, his tail wrapping around the railing. But Ren looked so friendly...

"Sorry if I scared you, dude... Do I know ya?"

The Listener opened his mouth, but no sounds came out. His brain was on fire, his blush spreading over to the tips of his pointy ears. His tail's grip on the fence tightened, but the loose part of the appendage tried wagging with excitement.

"I-I-uhhh..." he stumbled through his words, trying to form one coherent thought. The canine tilted his head and chuckled. 

"Nice poncho ya got there... Makes you look like a real snack, innit?" he giggled and took a step closer. Immediately, Matryn tilted back and jumped off the railing.

"Uhhh- I gotta go! Nice to meecha, Ren!" he spat out and ran under the boardwalk, his whole body shaking from fear. Or excitement. Or both. He ran, until he dropped down the hill he was on and stopped at the edge of the water. 

He really wanted to meet Ren, to talk to him, to make new friends... But this already felt like too much. Ren really was nice... And even called him a snack , whatever that meant... And Martyn just had to ruin it. And he made it clear he knew Ren's name... Crap, I had to seem like sucha creep... he thought and sat at the edge of the shore, his eyes slowly tearing up. But I can't go back now, can I? I blew it...

The Listener curled up and wrapped his tail around his legs, trying to comfort himself. Why did he have to be so awkward? And so bad at talking with people? He grumbled under his breath, struggling to calm down. At least he didn't hear Ren approaching... Which meant the canine either lost him, or lost interest. The second one was probably worse, by far. 

"I... I should probably go back" he whispered and grabbed the edge of his collar. He pulled it up the collar of his uniform to cover his own face. He then whispered the words Jimmy taught him to get back to The Tree.

"Let me get back and lend you my knowledge."

But he didn't appear back at the lair.

For the first few moments, all he saw was nothing. Not as in darkness... Just straight up nothing . It immediately made him flinch and enter a panicked state. He knew this place... He was back in The Midway. But why? How? He remembered it all too well, the pain and the fear... Did he end up here by accident? Did the Watchers find him and cast him there once again? His breathing became quick and rigid. He did not want to come back here, not even for a second... It brought back memories. Painful ones. Too many painful memories... He hid his face in his collar yet again, silently praying that he was just seeing things. 

"Please... Please , let me go home... Please..." he whispered, his voice breaking.

Suddenly, he felt like he landed on something. He immediately grabbed on the solid ground and huffed with relief, feeling the blades of grass tickling his fingers. So it was just a mistake... He wasn't really in The Midway. He opened his eyes and looked up at The Tree.

But it was no longer there.

Or at least, he wasn't in the lair.

He found himself in the middle of a forest, full of regular-sized trees. They made him feel big in comparison for just a second - they were still taller than him, but at least they weren't towering over him like the one he still struggled to call home. Did he accidentally enter another world to spy on...? He slowly got up from the grass, and then noticed the second thing that was horribly wrong.

His Listener attire, together with his tail were completely gone. As much he struggled getting used to another appendage, without it he felt exposed and naked. Not as if he actually was. His clothes changed into a baggy, green hoodie and light blue shorts, complete with black flip-flops. It certainly felt... Different. His mind started racing yet again. As he pulled his hand through his blond hair, he suddenly remembered it. Was this his human form? He hasn't used it in ages ... But it still felt the same as the last time he did. Awkward. Uncomfortable. He groaned and rubbed his hand against his arm, feeling it seemingly for the first time in ages. But why was he forced into this form all of a sudden...? He gritted his teeth when he felt a gust of wind brush over him. It was pure torture, and it'd take him a lot of time before he gets used to it.

The moment he stopped focusing on his own awful feeling body, he heard someone calling him. At least his hearing was somewhat fine... His ears were not as pointy as in his Listener form, but they were slightly elongated. He followed the voice, with no better idea on what he should do. It could be a trap... But at this point, he was hopelessly lost. Maybe having to fight for his life would give him an idea on what to do.

After a while, Martyn entered a small clearing in the middle of the forest. There were several other people, standing in a circle. Only one of them was talking. Immediately, Martyn felt like he recognized that voice. It brought him back to the moment he was casted down into The Midway... His blood froze in his veins, threatening to make them explode from inside. Was that short human with colorful clippped wings Xelqua...?

"So, are all the rules clear? Remember, you can't kill each other before you turn red. You can track your lives, as well as some other things, on your wristbands. If you have any more questions, hit me up whenever you need" the man spoke up, then turned his head towards Martyn. His iconic, mischevious smirk appeared on his face. "Well, looks like we have one more friend to join us!"

"Wh- What?" Martyn huffed and rubbed his eyes. All of the other people turned towards him, glancing at him curiously. He didn't recognize most of them. He took note of Jimmy, there were also two more Watchers he recognized, all in their human form as well... There was Jimmy's blazeborn friend...

And there was Ren.

Martyn's face immediately went red and he looked away, to pretend he didn't see the canine. He slowly approached the group, taking his place among the other people. His mind was racing, unable to calm down for even a second. Why were there so many people? DId he not know all of them, or did he just not recognize some of them? What were they here to do? Was that this "project" Jimmy mentioned? If so, who was this Grian he was talking about? Did he mean Xelqua? The name Grian rang a bell, but in a weird, unsetteling way... Before he could even notice, people started going their separate ways, some of them already pairing up and leaving in pairs or small groups.

"Um... Hello...?"

"A minute" Martyn didn't even look at who was talking to him. He ran up to the short, blue eyed man and grabbed his shoulder. "Are you gonna explain yourself, mister?"

The parrot turned around and smiled brightly, seemingly glad to see Martyn.

"Hey, good to see you again! Timmy mentioned you wanted to join the game, so I provided! How do you like it?"

"The game ? Xelqua, what are you talking about?! You literally-"

"Don't- Don't call me that here" he put a finger on Martyn's lips to silence him. "I'm not Xelqua around here. It's Grian . It'd be nice if you respected that."

"What? What do you-? Okay, fine, Grian, whatever. What "game" do you mean? Why are we here? And not to mention, I still don't know why I was cast down into the Listeners' lair!"

"What do you mean, you don't remember?" the parrot looked up at him, his smugness immediately replaced with confusion. "You lost your memory in The Midway?"

"No, I don't think so... I remember most things, except some small details... But you have to explain yourself, now!"

"I... I'm not gonna spoil you the fun" a grin appeared on the man's face again, when he noticed someone coming from behind the Listener. "You're a smart cookie, you'll figure it out..."

"What? No, Xe- I mean, Grian! Don't leave me here like that!-"

Suddenly, Martyn felt someone's hand on his shoulder. He immediately shuddered, clearly startled by the gesture. Grian ran away, giggling like a little kid who pulled off a successful prank. Still a bit scared, the Listener slowly turned around to face Ren.

"Uhh... Hi" the canine smiled gently. Yet again, Martyn's face immediately became red. He wished he had his collar to hide it.

"U-uhhh... H-hi, hello..." he managed to mutter.

"I remember you! I think...? I saw someone similar to you a while ago... And that guy even knew my name! Somehow... Was it you, dude?"

The Listener immediately started sweating. This felt like a trap. Should he lie, or actually admit the truth? It could come off as creepy, that he knew Ren's name without ever meeting the guy... As if his name was the only thing he knew. The blond man started fidgeting with the strings of his hoodie, not meeting Ren's gaze.

"U-um... I-I don't know... Maybe...? Heh..."

Ren chuckled and put a finger under Martyn's chin, guiding it up. His hands were so warm... Martyn looked him right in the eyes. It was maybe a second, but it sure did feel like hours. 

"Oh, alright... Well, in case it wasn't you... I'm Ren. Nice to meecha, dude!"

"I-I know!" he sputtered, then quickly hid his face "I-I mean, yeah! Nice to meet you, too!"

The canine started laughing, but in an endeared way, not a mocking one. He really did find Martyn's awkwardness cute... Even if he seemed a little weird. But that only piqued his interest.

"And what is your name, baby?" he asked with a playful smirk. Martyn's breathing hitched yet again.

"I-uhhh... I-I'm... I'm Martyn" he literally pushed the words out of his mouth. It took more strength than he realized. More strength than he really had, probably. The canine nodded and smiled, then let go of the man's chin. He immediately started missing the gentle touch. 

"Martyn! You wanna team up with me? We need to get some allies before people start killing each other left and right!"

"Ye-yeah! I mean, sure, if you want to! I'd love to!" the Listener chuckled nervously.

"Awesome! How about we see where the others went, ey? Maybe we can find some resources? Or steal some?" he suggested with a devilish smile. 

Martyn energetically nodded and followed the man. It was like a dream come true... Like he was meeting his celebrity crush. Except that Ren was no celebrity. Which didn't mean he wasn't super hot and nice, cuz he was.

They quickly found the other players in a place that looked like an abandoned village. There were a few buildings around them, some of them had broken windows, or the doors were taken down. There were several other players, busy plunging the village and arguing. There was a tree growing in the middle of the area. 

"Hey, what's up, guys?" Ren approached them, his tail curiously wagging.

"Ren!" he was immediately approached by the blazeborn that Martyn recognized. He pulled on Ren's arm. "Tell Scar to not burn down our only dark oak tree!"

"I ain't doin' anything to the tree!" Scar, or at least who Martyn guessed was Scar based on numerous scars on his body, put on an innocent smile. He was even holding a flint and steel. Martyn took a deep breath, trying to sound as casual and approachable as possible.

"Scar, can you not burn it down? There are plenty of other things to burn down!"

"Hey, you're right!" the man's face lit up, although he was still looking back at the tree. The other players managed to cover it with a mound of dirt, with a sign stating " Historical landmark " right in the middle.

"Not bad" Ren whispered into Martyn's ear. A cold, yet pleasurable shiver went down the Listener's back.

"Y-yeah!" Martyn chuckled, trying to hype himself up. He smiled as he saw Scar leave.

Over the next hour or so, they hung around the area gathering resources, talking to the other players and in general having fun. Martyn almost forgot that he was forced into this strange predicament and that he was supposed to hate it. Maybe it wasn't that bad... He actually felt fairly safe, especially around Ren. Very quickly, they started talking like friends who knew each other for years.

"Oh, I know! How about we start an enchanting business? We can find some allies, and people will pay us to enchant their stuff!"

"Ooooh, I like it!" Martyn smiled and huffed, putting his axe away. It was quite straining to cut down a whole tree and he wasn't used to manual labor, but the company he had really helped. "And we can call it, uhhh.... Ren chanting! You know, cuz of your name!"

Ren let out a hearty laugh. Martyn blushed right away, feeling a bit embarrassed about the whole situation.

"Renchantin'... I love it! Love that big brain of yours, if you know what I'm sayin'" he said with a playful smirk. "C'mon, go sell the others on the idea! I'll stay here and cut more trees. Then, we can go and make ourselves a proper base!"

"On it, boss!"

Martyn ran towards the others. His body was already tired, but his mind felt clearer than ever. He even started feeling a bit mischievous and playful... Carefully, to not get noticed by the others, he sneaked up on a group that was standing in the middle of the village - specifically aiming for Grian. There was one Listener ability he never had much of a chance or reason to use, but it seemed perfect now. He stood just a few meters behind from the parrot and let out a high hissing sound, reminiscent of a creeper. Grian immediately screamed out and jumped away, making the other players laugh.

"Martyn! You jerk!" he huffed.

"Wow, that was awesome!" another player, a large man named Impulse smiled approvingly. "How did you do that?"

Grian rolled his eyes and left their little circle.

"Oh, it's a mystery!" Martyn announced proudly "And if I let you know, that will ruin the fun, right?"

"No wonder Ren clung to you from the start... You seem like a fun guy" Scar admitted with a gentle smile. This little comment was all the approval that the Listener needed. He grinned proudly.

"Heck yeah! And we're starting a new business, you might be interested? We called it Renchanting ! Well, I came up with the name, at least..."

Suddenly, his ear perked up. He heard a hissing sound, similar to the one he just made... But it was probably nothing, right? His body tensed a little.

"Oh, so you're taking the enchanting monopol? Careful, or someone might-"

Suddenly, an explosion went off with a loud boom. It pushed away not only Martyn, but the other players as well. The Listener fell to the ground, his whole body suddenly shaking. There was a crater in the ground, just meters from him...

And all that was left of Scar was a cloud of smoke, and a few dropped items.

Some of the players started hysterically laughing, others started screaming at Grian, some of them were completely silent. Martyn found himself in the third group. He stared at the hole, and then at Grian, who was standing over it, clearly horrified at what had just happened.

"I-it was just an accident! It was a prank!" he nervously chuckled. "I-I swear!"

"Grian! You killed him!" Martyn yelled, his whole body trembling in nerves.

Not even a minute passed before Scar ran back to them. Scar... Who had just died a second ago. And he was completely fine... Well, aside from two things. One, his shirt completely burned off, leaving his torso and stomach exposed. Second, the wristband on his hand turned from green to yellow. The Listener looked at him, struggling to catch his breath. What just happened, why was he suddenly okay...?

"What... What just happened?" Scar asked, seemingly more confused than anyone else. 

"Oh, Scar, I'm so sorry..." Grian squealed, backing off a bit.

Martyn slowly got up from the ground and backed away from the situation. It was too much... He needed a break. Now . He ran towards the woods, but stopped the moment he noticed Ren.

"Martyn! What's happenin', my dude? I saw that Scar just died!"

"He- he did..." Martyn whispered, his voice still trembling. Ren took notice of his terrified state right away. He approached the Listener and pulled him into a warm hug.

"Oh, Martyn, I'm glad you're okay..." he whispered. The Listener melted into his touch "You weren't around when Grian explained the rules, were ya? We're all on green lives now... Well, except Scar. He's on yellow now. If he dies again... He turns red, and then he can freely kill any of us. But if he dies after red..." he took a pause.

"What? What happens then?"

"I... I-I don't know... Nothin' bad, probably" Ren just shrugged, pushing his own insecurities aside for a moment. "Hey, wanna see the place I chose for our newest base? You're gonna love it, dude!"

"Um..." Martyn looked back towards the crater, then at Ren again. "S-sure. Show me that place."

Ren grabbed him by the hand. The Listener followed him slowly, trying to hide the pure horror that was still present on his face. It was unlike anything he's ever seen before...

And that was only the beginning of what this game was gonna pull him through.

Chapter Text

The longer the game went on, the more invested the players started becoming. After just a few days it no longer felt like just casual fun with friends. The more they organised, formed alliances and started fighting and tricking each other, the more dangerous the air grew around everyone. A few players already lost at least one life and were walking the thin line between being yellow and red. There was so far only one player on a red name - Scar. Not many people knew how it exactly happened, but everytime he was around, people could see him getting more unstable with each passing day. Even Grian, who followed him around like a puppy and tried forcing him to put on some clothes - since Scar refused to wear a shirt since he lost his first life - seemed helpless around him. Everyone could taste the danger that started enveloping them each morning and tucking them to a restless sleep every night. The game was getting more and more serious by the day, and their banter was no longer as playful. 

However, there were some people who were clearly enjoying this state of the server.

On the eastern side of the area, overviewing a river, a seemingly humble base emerged over a few days. Its two inhabitants didn't like company all too much, all they really needed was each other. They spent the days in each other's company, preparing the fortifications of their castle - at least they called it that, despite the building not being all too grand. That didn't stop them from embracing the little roleplay they started. Now, they weren't just friends - Ren became their king, and Martyn was his humble, loyal knight. Each day, the canine looked at his new companion with more and more admiration.

Being around so many people and getting into so many different situations, the Listener blossomed in the blink of an eye. In Ren's eyes, he grew to be just like a rose - beautiful and soft, but at the same time full of thorns and able to defend himself. Whenever they trained and fought together, his advantages in battle started becoming clearer and clearer. He wasn't the strong brutal type - he used his dexterity, agility and over everything, his unmatched wits. Even if the dog could easily outstrength him, Martyn always had some kind of trick up his sleeve and ended up overpowering his king. Not to mention, he definitely was the brains of their group - it was incredibly easy for him to see through people and scheme against them whenever needed. From an anxious mess, he grew into a fierce warrior, and a kind friend.

Or at least this is what it seemed like.

The sun was slowly emerging over the horizon, and Martyn was already on his guard duty. He slowly circled Dogwarts, taking light steps on the top of the base's outer wall. It was early, but he didn't feel tired - the cold air of the morning energized him. If only his sword didn't weigh him down so much... He stopped at some point, overviewing the area. North from them, he could see the base of BigB - a nice guy, not much of a threat to them. The southern side seemed more dangerous - a group of players allied themselves inside of another castle (or as they insisted on calling it, Crastle) and didn't seem all too friendly. Straight west there didn't seem to be much of a threat, aside from the opposite side of the server - there, the infamous red life Scar and his loyal Watcher friend ruled over a desert. It was far enough from Dogwarts to keep Martyn and Ren fairly safe, but he still had to keep his eyes on the ball. His king may have been a strong, powerful fighter, but sometimes he was a bit... Inattentive, and distractible. Especially when he got into their little roleplay too much.

The Listener's eyes perked up as he heard the door creak open inside of the base. Immediately, he turned around and slid off the wall, to meet his ruler and friend.

"G'morning, boss!" he saluted, standing face to face with the slightly sleepy dog. "I already patrolled the area, I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary. I'm heading out to the flower valley soon, Jimmy wanted to see me... Do you need me to pass them any message from you, m'lord?"

The canine rubbed his face to wake himself up, then patted Martyn on the shoulder.

"You're sucha hard worker, dude... But it's so early, give me a second to process..."

"Oh! Okay, right, of course!" Martyn nodded with excitement. Right away, his hair fell over his face, obstructing his vision. He immediately started fixing them with his hand, gruntling with frustration. "I need to cut it, it's gettin' everywhere..."

"Awww, but you look so nice with longer hair" Ren admitted in a playful tone. His knight immediately looked away, to not show the blush appearing on his face. Why was it so easy for Ren to make him flustered? "Wait, wait, I have an idea... Give me a minute."

The dog went inside of their base again. Martyn started fidgeting with his hair, waiting for him to come back. He was used to his voice being very short, but over all this time it grew to reach over his ears. And it wasn't easy to get used to it. One of the only times Ren was able to beat him in a fight, it was because he could barely see through his own hair.

Soon after, the dog reemerged from the house. He then stood behind his friend and wrapped a black headband around his temples, covering his scars. The headband made it immediately easier to keep his messy hair at bay. Martyn's breath hitched for a moment at this gesture.

"Better?"

"Y-ye-yeah..." he huffed and started rubbing his cheeks, as if trying to get rid of the blush. "Thank you, m'lord. That really helps."

"Anything for you, my knight" Ren whispered right into his ear, his finger stroking the back of his neck, seemingly by accident. The Listener bit his tongue, as if to not let it get to him too much. But hell, it did feel good. Ren was affectionate with him, but never to this degree. Unless...

A red light went off inside of the man's head right away. He jumped away, right before the canine could hit him with his giant diamond axe. So it was a test. And he passed with flying colors. Ren rested his weapon on the grass and leaned on it, letting out amused laughter.

"Nice! How do you do it, dude? How are you always this focused?"

"I'm pretty sure it's just anxiety. Like, I need to watch my back all the time" he nervously chuckled, swirling one of the ends of his new headband on his finger. Its color and shape reminded him of his Listener tail. "Well, I know I can trust you, m'lord, but... I still have to be on my toes, y'know?"

"Good. Good!" Ren smiled and playfully pulled on Martyn's cheek. "We need to be ready for anythin' right? Cuz anythin' might happen in the next days... And if someone attacks Dogwarts, we have to defend it! With our lives, I'm tellin' ya!"

Martyn chuckled under his breath. He very much enjoyed Ren's theatrics. Sometimes it was hard to guess whether he was joking about something, or was so serious it felt like he was joking. The Listener nodded.

"Of course! I'm ready to lay down my life to defend Dogwarts... And you, as well."

Ren tilted his head, his ears perking up with all the emotions that were overflowing him. Just looking at Martyn made him feel at home... He's never known anyone quite like him. Both kind and fierce, both funny and incredibly intelligent and witty. His skills in combat needed a bit more polish, but he made up for it in his quick thinking and strategizing. And Ren knew just how to help him...

"Okay, so you're headin' out today, right? But before you go, how about a little trainin' session?"

"Always, my king!" Martyn smiled brightly and grabbed his sword. Ren, who was much more experienced in combat, could tell that the weapon wasn't quite comfortable for his knight. He was on the leaner side, so even a relatively light weapon was too heavy for him. He did just fine during their training, but what if it wouldn't be enough during a real fight?

The king handed him his giant axe, one which he could wield with no much issue. Martyn immediately grabbed it, despite the weapon probably weighing as much as he did.

"Yeah, that sword of yours will not do... And neither would an axe" Ren shook his head. The Listener's ears dropped a bit. Was Ren disappointed in him...?

"I-I'm fine, my king, really! I've been doing just fine!"

"No, no... Stay here. Seems like today is a Treat your knight day " Ren playfully booped Martyn's nose, then entered their house yet again.

Martyn looked after him, this time a bit more discouraged. His king looked happy enough... But the words still somewhat stung. As if Ren looked down on him, for not being quite as strong as he was... He huffed and looked down at the canine's axe. Red Winter, as he called it, was made out of all the diamonds the Listener found during one of his trips to the mines, then carefully crafted into a weapon for his king. Not just its sharpness, but its very weight was enough to knock someone down in a singular blow. And Ren wielded it like it was but a stick, with incredible skill... Martyn closed his eyes to focus, then slowly lifted the weapon from the grass. The pain in the scars on his back immediately flared from the strain. Not even a few seconds in, he dropped the axe, breathing heavily. Maybe Ren was right... Maybe he really was weak...

Suddenly, the dog emerged from the house and threw another weapon right under Martyn's feet.

"Try this one. It should be better for you, lil' guy" he said with a friendly smirk.

Still a little disheartened, Martyn looked down. Just in front of him, Ren threw him a diamond sword. But it didn't look like any regular sword. Its blade was curved and very thin, yet incredibly sharp at the same time. With a tinge of excitement, the blond man leaned down and grabbed the weapon. It was much lighter than his normal sword, but not in a way where it felt like a training weapon or a toy. It felt actually threatening. He let out an amused chuckle.

"I... I think I like it..." he said, taking a few test slashes on the air. Ren moved back a bit and grinned.

"That's what I'm sayin'! You're wielding it like a champ, baby! And you look good while doing it, if you know what I'm sayin'..."

Martyn started laughing. He unbuckled his old sword from his belt and threw it on the ground. 

"Oh, I know all too well! But no more distractions, my king! En garde! "

Feeling a sudden pang of bravery, Martyn launched himself at his superior. Ren smirked brightly and immediately grabbed his axe, blocking the hit. The diamond-coated metal clashed against each other with a loud clang. Full of satisfaction from the ringing sound, Martyn stepped back, keeping himself light on his toes. His breathing was quick, but stable. He grew to love the clarity of his mind that engaging in combat granted him. 

"Awww, someone's getting feisty? C'mon, show me what you're made of!"

Ren swung the axe right in front of him, the blade narrowly avoiding slicing Martyn in half. As if he was seeing the world in slow motion, the Listener slid under the weapon and between the canine's wide stance, then immediately tried striking him in the back. Again, his hit was blocked, but this time the window for the king to defend himself was a lot more narrow. He even huffed in shock.

"Good move... I wouldn't mind you if you stayed there a little longer" Ren smirked, trying to charm Martyn into letting down his guard. The Listener bit his lip, the tips of his ears reddening.

"Maybe after I'm done?" he shot back in a teasing tone. Before Ren could even notice, he struck another time - this time right into the axe's hilt. The reinforced steel dug into the wooden handle, almost reaching halfway into its width. Martyn pulled on his sabre, huffing when he realized it got stuck.

"And now what?" the dog giggled. "C'mon, use your head, baby!"

It only took Martyn a second or two of consideration. He let go of his weapon, then kicked the flat of the axe. It sent Ren, who expected Martyn to pull rather than push, to fall on his back. Immediately, the blond man jumped on top of him and stepped on the weapon with his foot, pinning the king down. He coughed and smiled widely.

"Nice! Fine, I yield!"

"Do you, my king?" The Listener leaned down, his face getting really close to Ren's. He got distracted for a second, staring into his ally's big blue eyes. They were so beautiful... And exactly what Ren needed.

"Y'know what? No, actually not" he giggled. He pulled one of his dog-like legs back, making Martyn lose balance and fall on top of him with a yelp. The Listener immediately blushed, when his face was just inches away from Ren's. The only thing that was between them was Red Winter, and Martyn's sabre. "I know we're getting close, dude, but this is somethin' new..."

"I-uhhh... I don't mind it that much, I dunno about you" he giggled anxiously, his ears pinning down. "But, um... I did promise Jimmy I'd visit him today. So, maybe later...?"

"FIne by me... I'll be waiting" he whispered, leaning even closer. His nose was almost touching Martyn's ear. The blond man immediately flinched and started blushing like crazy. Ren knew exactly what worked on him, and he both loved and hated it.

"O-of course, boss! I'll be back in a few hours" he nervously giggled as he scrambled up. He grabbed the hilt of his sabre and struggled with pulling it out for a moment, then he attached it to his belt and ran towards the Dogwart's gate.

He somewhat knew the way towards Flower valley, despite never visiting before. Jimmy left him some instructions - he needed to go west until he saw Skizzleman's base, then turn south and head until he noticed a few hills sheltering a small valley. At first, he was taking every single step with a ton of caution. After all, there could be traps anywhere... But the more he got into no man's land, the more he realized how futile it would be. Making a trap here, where people weren't passing often would either make it futile, or go off on the wrong person. And the rules were clear - if a non-red killed someone, they would cheat. As he thought about that, Martyn's hand tightened on his weapon. He remembered the first kill he thought of, the prank which made Scar go from green to yellow... But Grian wasn't punished. Yes, he was now stuck with Scar, but purely because of his guilty conscience. Did that mean there was no real punishment for breaking the rules? And if so, why were there even rules in the first place?

"That stupid bird..." he huffed under his breath. He then looked up, noticing the hills just several hundred feet in front of him. He was getting close. Maybe Jimmy would make some sense of it. Apparently, he knew Grian better than Martyn ever knew Xelqua.

The Flower valley was, well, a pretty small valley overgrown with vegetation and colorful flowers. It might've been the most peaceful place on the whole server. The fields of wheat gently swayed in the wind. The lake in the middle of the area was calm and quiet, serene even. The little houses, which were partially built into the mountainsides, looked incredibly cosy. The only thing that was missing were the inhabitants... Until Martyn, standing at the edge of the valley, suddenly heard someone right behind him.

"Hi, Martyn!" the Listener almost jumped from fear at the sound of Jimmy's voice. How did he not hear him?- Oh, yeah, he was a Listener too, and a much more experienced one. Martyn already knew that Listeners were great at sneaking up on people, but on others of their kind? That was impressive.

"Holy!- Jim! You scared me!" he huffed, clutching on his heart as it almost jumped out of his ribcage. The taller man started laughing.

"Oh, you're still a newbie, bro! It's too easy to sneak up on ya!"

"I'd prefer if you didn't do that, thank you very much..." Martyn rolled his eyes. "Anyways, you wanted to talk, right?"

"Of course, of course! C'mon, help me carry this wood, will ya?" he handed his friend several of the cut pieces of logs he brought from the forest. "Scott is probably over at his place, this guy sure does need his beauty sleep..."

"Wait, you're not living with Tango? I thought you called him your favorite person ...?" Martyn tilted his head, but followed him down the path into the valley.

"Well, yeah! But we're gettin' to meet new people, right? I wanna experiment! Besides, Tango doesn't mind at all! Or at least he's never told me he does..."

"O-oh... Okay..." Martyn just shrugged "And how is this... Scott guy...?" he asked, clearly not realising that he, in fact, knew Scott.

"Oh, he's so nice! He has this silly accent, and he found us this place! And after I made us flower crowns, he started calling us the flower husbands! Isn't it nice?"

"Well, uh... That's nice that you've found yourself here" he admitted quietly, then dropped the wood right where Jimmy did. "Yeah, this place is... Pretty nice... But why did you wanna see me...?"

"I just wanted to check up on you, buddy! How are you feelin'?"

"Huh...? I feel... Fine, I guess..." he muttered, fidgeting with his headband. Jimmy quickly took notice of that. 

"Hey, nice headband! Gives you some character! Where did you get it?"

"What? Well, uh- Well, Ren gave it to me this morning..."

"Oh really!" Jimmy chuckled. "How is it? Living with your favorite person...?"

"Well, it's... Great..." he whispered, turning his head away so that Jimmy didn't see him start blushing. "Ren is so... Nice... We train together, we talk a lot... He seems really interested in what I think! And it's awesome!" Martyn nervously chuckled. "Like, he noticed I struggle with using heavy weapons, so he got me this light sword, and it's so much better to use! Y'know? Like, he actually listens! Not to mean, he's kinda... Handsome..."

"Well that sounds like a gay panic, if I've ever heard one" Martyn suddenly heard right behind him, making him jump for the second time that day. This time whoever approached him didn't even need to be sneaky - he got so into his own head that he forgot about the world around him. He let out a startled squeal and turned around, facing a short, blue-haired man. His blue eyes reminded Martyn of something... Or someone...

"Oh, there you are!" Jimmy smiled and hugged his ally from behind. "Scott, this is Martyn! Martyn, meet my flower husband Scott!"

"You're a Watcher" Martyn immediately spat out, without even thinking. He didn't even know how he knew that. He just did. Scott's eyes widened for just a second, but then a cheeky smile appeared on his face.

"And you're smart cookie, aren'tcha?" he took a good look at Martyn, then put a finger on his cheek. "Wait... Are you the one who was yeeted into The Midway?"

"Yes... Wait, were you there?"

"You really think I'd miss that?"

That sentence made Martyn's blood boil. He grabbed Scott by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up. The flower crown dropped from the man's head, but he didn't seem phased by the Listener's sudden move.

"Why didn't you help me?! I was dropped down there for no good reason, and all you guys did was watch!"

"Isn't that all we're meant to do?" Scott chuckled, a hint of purple shining in his eyes. "Besides, I didn't even know you. If I was in your place, would you risk going against thousands of Watchers for a person you don't even know the name of?"

Martyn huffed, then let him go. He hated to admit it, but Scott had a point. They weren't friends. Did he even have any friends as a Watcher?

"Guys, guys, c'mon..." Jimmy chuckled, trying to loosen the atmosphere. "Let's not talk about work stuff here, okay?"

"Okay, sure" Martyn sighed and rolled his eyes. Suddenly, his ears perked up. He heard something- Not, he heard someone . They were quite a distance away, but he could clearly hear someone's footsteps- No. There were footsteps of two people. His face immediately tensed, as he tried his best to focus on the sounds. Jimmy looked at him, clearly worried.

"You okay, brother?"

"I can hear someone... Someone approaching. I don't know who... All I can hear is that there are two people passing, not too far from us."

"Okay, you guys are pretty good" Scott admitted with a laid back tone, then picked up his flower crown. "So, you're gonna go check it out or what?"

"Should we?"

"Better safe than sorry. If it's Scar, he might try to attack us. And you" he turned towards Jimmy, who was already on his yellow life "Are the most at risk of getting hurt. You should probably stay..."

"No way! I wanna go, I ain't no coward!"

"But- Yeah, okay, whatever... Just stay back. If it's really Scar, I'll deal with him"

"Good luck you two. Don't get murdered" Scott left a small peck on Jimmy's cheek, but only sent Martyn a cold stare. They weren't going to get along, at least not anytime soon.

Just a few minutes later, they both lurked at the edge of the woods outside of the valley. It was hard to see through the thick of the woods. Again, Martyn started missing being a Watcher - this time, he wished he could still have an enhanced vision, which would allow him to see more clearly. All he could really do was try to carefully listen.

"...Scar, this is a bad idea... This is technically against the rules..."

"You already broke the rules when you killed me, right? Can't you just, y'know, do it again?"

"It's Scar and Grian" Martyn gasped and hid being one of the trees. "And they're heading east..."

"Maybe they wanna meet up with the Crastle people...?" Jimmy suggested.

"They could, but... What if they're heading for Dogwarts...? And I'm not there to protect Ren...!"

"Hey, hey, Mart, calm down" Jimmy approached him and put his hands on Martyn's shoulders. "Ren can defend himself, I'm sure... Besides, it's not gonna be a 2v1, Grian is still on green, so he can't attack him..."

"But he mentioned something that's against the rules ! What if he meant exactly that?"

His mind started running wild again. He could hear Scar and Grian getting away from them... He didn't have many options. He could try and follow them, but in case of being discovered, he'd have to face Scar. He could run and get to Dogwarts before them, but would he even get there in time? And what if it actually was a false alarm? Maybe they were just heading towards the Crastle, which was not too far south from his home? And even if they did head towards Dogwarts, maybe they did not have any ill intent...? Or so he hoped, at least... Before Jimmy even tried to shake him out of his overthinking state, he pushed himself away and grabbed his weapon.

"We need to follow them. I don't like this. If they talk about breaking rules, that means something's up."

"Alright, you're the boss."

Martyn followed the two players as quickly, but also as quietly as he could. He didn't want to admit it, but what Jimmy told him made him feel good. Really good. The moment he finally noticed Scar and Grian between the woods, he would not allow himself to lose them even for a second. Scar was still shirtless, so the Listeners could quickly see that his skin started taking on an unhealthy, greyish color. It was a bit concerning, but it was the least of their worry at that moment. Grian followed his ally, but his expression clearly showed he didn't really want to do it - whatever they were really planning. Martyn's brain went into overanalyzing mode yet again. They were alone... The Crastle was inhabited by Bdubs and Cleo, two of the players he never really had a chance to meet all too well. If Grian truly couldn't engage in combat, attacking them would force Scar into a 2v1... And as a red, it was an extremely dangerous situation to him. They could, obviously, have good intentions... But it didn't seem likely, for whatever reason. Scar already showed that he was quite ruthless, especially now, when the stakes were getting higher and higher.

The closer they were getting to the riverbank, the more nervous Martyn was getting. His breath almost hitched when he noticed them split up by the shore, with Scar heading towards the Crastle and Grian turning north. Jimmy stopped in his tracks the moment the other Listener grabbed him by the wrist.

"Okay, I really don't like it" he muttered. "We need to follow them. Both."

"Sure... I'll go after Scar, you go talk to Grian" Jimmy suggested with a smile, but that didn't calm Martyn down. Quite the opposite, his grip on his friend's wrist tightened.

"No... Grian hates me. He won't listen to me... You two have somewhat of a stable relationship, right? Besides, I can face Scar in battle. If you fight him and die, you'll become red, too. If I fail, and I won't, I'll just turn yellow. No big deal."

"You sure...?" Jimmy started, but immediately backtracked when he was met by Martyn's stern expression "Fine, fine... I'll follow Grian. And if Ren asks, I'll tell him you sent me. Deal?"

"Deal" Martyn finally let him go and entered the woods, trotting after Scar. 

Unfortunately for him, Scar noticed him as he was halfway through crossing the river. The red life was already on dry land, so he had the upper hand. Shit.

"Well hello there, Martyn!" Scar called out in a deceptively friendly voice and waved at the man. "Nice to see you!"

"Yeah, yeah, I guess..." the Listener rolled his eyes. "Where are you heading, mister?"

"Oh! I'm going to meet up with the Crastle people! I'm sure they'll be interested in gaining some reputation points!"

"Reputation... Points...? What do you mean...?" Martyn tilted his head, his expression clearly dumbfounded. He clutched on his sabre, treading through the water as fast as possible to be on equal grounds with Scar.

"The reputation points, on my reputation board! People give me stuff, and they gain reputation!"

"And that helps them... How...?"

"Well, they gain reputation! That should be enough of a prize in itself!"

Martyn scrunched his nose. Maybe it was a bad idea to follow Scar. He might've been on red, but he seemed too clueless to even notice that.

"So you're not here to... Kill them?"

"What? No, of course not!" Scar giggled. "Why would I ever do that? If they give me their clothes, I'll leave them alone and we'll be all happy!"

"Their... Clothes?" Martyn opened his mouth, as if to ask something more, but he stopped himself. It really did like he knew more than he wanted to. "Okay, okay, whatever... And where did Grian go...?"

"Oh, that's a secret! I'm not just gonna tell you cuz that would ruin the fun!"

"A secret, huh...?" Martyn shrugged. "I guess... He's green, so it can't be that bad, right...?"

Then, as if on command, a loud roar of an explosion cut through the air. The shockwave was so strong that even several hundred feet away, Martyn and Scar both felt it. The Listener covered his sensitive ears, and Scar started maniacally laughing.

"There we go! That sounds like a good one!"

"W-what?! What did you do?!" Martyn growled, grabbing his sabre. Scar looked at him, his expression holding traces of both playfulness and viciousness. 

"Oh, we know that greens can't kill other people...But what about traps? He isn't forcing anyone in, right?" he giggled, then leaned closer to Martyn, causing him to flinch and move back. "And if I were you... I'd ran to check up on your dear ol' king."

"Ren..." Martyn gasped. He really wanted to pounce at once, to attack and possibly even kill Scar... But Ren could be in danger. As much as he hated to just leave Scar be, he shut his eyes tight and ran north, towards Dogwarts. 

Right away, he was hit with a strong smell of smoke, sulphur and burning meat. It didn't quiet his worries for even a second - especially, when he noticed a huge gaping hole in the Dogwarts' outer wall. The explosion also left a deep crater, with smoke still coming off it. Martyn stopped for a moment to catch his breath, then looked down at his wristband. It always notified them when someone died... And there were three new notifications.

Skizzleman blew up.

Solidarity blew up.

And then the third one, the most horrifying.

Renthedog blew up.

"Oh no, oh no no no no... Ren!" Martyn ran towards his base. He could see Grian in the corner of his eye, he wanted to run up to him and punch him in the face... But at that moment, he couldn't think about anything other than Ren's wellbeing. His king was on yellow life now... And Martyn failed to protect him. He silently cursed at himself as he entered Dogwarts and ran into their house. "Ren!"

The canine was laying on bed, coughing and struggling to catch his breath. Martyn immediately kneeled right in front of him and grabbed his big, warm hand.

"Ren... Ren, I-I'm so sorry I wasn't around. Please, forgive me..." he whispered, bringing his king's hand up to his forehead, in a sign of pleading for forgiveness. His eyes teared up immediately, especially when Ren put his head on his knight's forehead.

"It's okay, my knight... It's not your fault" he smiled gently, then started coughing again. "I'll be fine, lad. Maybe this is for the better..."

"W-what do you... What do you mean...?" Martyn let out a nervous chuckle. Ren sat up on his bed, tooking a quick glance on his wristband. It changed from a lively green into a striking yellow. The dog licked his lips, silently weighing his words. He then looked at his ally and grabbed his hands.

"I... I need you to do something, my knight. Are you listening...?"

"Yes, yes... Anything for you, my king..."

***

Only two days later, Martyn finally gave him an affirmative answer to his request.

Waiting for Ren, he was standing on Black Heart Altar, holding Red Winter in his hand. The weapon weighed him down more than usual. He didn't dare to lift it; he didn't even dare to lift his head. He hated that he said yes... But he trusted his king. He trusted his judgement more than he trusted himself, especially after failing so hard. He couldn't help but fidget with his headband, anxiously awaiting for his king to come. He wished he could go back, that he could tell him no and just forget about the whole idea... But that was their new reality. And they had to adapt to survive.

He pinned his ears back when he heard the canine coming. His step was heavier than usual. Martyn only barely lifted his head. His king covered himself in a coat of crimson, making him appear even more imposing than he already was. He let down his hair as well. Martyn bit his lip, stopping his tears as well as he could.

"Martyn, lad, my knight..." he approached his friend with a stern look on his face. "From your hands, a new era will begin. An era of revenge. An era of red. And you will serve as the harbinger, to let me take down all of these fools. Starting with the ones that force us to do this."

"Do we... Do we have to do this...?" Martyn asked quietly, picking on the hilt of the axe. He didn't meet the dog's eyes, until he guided Martyn's head up by the chin to force him to look up. The king's stare was serious, but gentle. At least for now.

"We do. Please, do the honors, my knight. The one who has never failed me."

After saying that, he leaned closer, his lips softly touching Martyn's for just a short second. The Listener looked at him, a flurry of emotions mixing inside of him. He hated that he had to do this, he hated it so much... But he didn't want to fail his king. And if he said it had to be done. He shut his mouth tight, the taste of his closest ally still lingering on his lips.

Then, Ren kneeled down before him and lowered his head.

Martyn grabbed Red Winter, bracing himself for the strike.

With the strength he didn't even know he had, he held the weapon over his head.

And then, he struck down his king.

Before his detached head could drop to the ground, the canine's body turned into a cloud of smoke. It entered Martyn's lungs, making him cough. All that remained was Ren's crown, which dropped to the ground. 

As well as a message to everyone on the server.

Renthedog was slain by Inthelittlewood using [RED WINTER IS COMING].

Chapter Text

Dark clouds gathered around the server, shielding the surface from any lifegiving sunlight. The tension in the air was almost tangible. The alliances were getting more tightly tied together, awaiting for their impending doom from one another's hand. Dogwarts started becoming more populated, but they weren't the only faction that was growing in numbers. It seemed like everyone was on edge, waiting for a singular spark to lit their world on fire. And people had different ways to deal with the creeping anxiety.

There were more and more red lives appearing every day. Ren seemed fairly fine, despite how fragile he was on his last life - the only real difference is that his theatrics about being the king got even more pronounced. But he wasn't the only one. With time, he allowed Skizz, Etho and Joel as refugees into their camp. Despite not being a part of the king's court, Tango and Impulse were also closely tight to the alliance. Red flags waved over the castle, signifying to anyone who approached that they would not be greeted with mercy. The canine seemed to have the time of his life, playing into his new persona of the Red King more and more every day. The only thing that broke his immersion was seeing his right hand man, who was not doing half as well.

It really did feel like most of the responsibility of strategizing and gathering allies fell on Martyn - and he felt it. He spent most of his days patrolling and gathering important information that could aid all of them in the future. He barely slept - his mind was like a cyclone, not stopping for even a second and destroying any trace of solace he could find in resting. He barely ate - the anxiety of the situation made his stomach tie into a knot, making him nauseous most of the time. At some point he lost a life and turned yellow in a pretty pathetic way - he got hit by a skeleton that he didn't even notice while patrolling around the area. He constantly had his weapon right beside him, even when hanging out with his allies - as if fearing that anyone could turn on them at any moment. Every time Ren saw his friend's tired, nervous gaze, it felt like a stab right in the heart.

At some point, early in the morning, the king approached his right hand man, who was sitting on the outer wall. Hearing someone approaching him made Martyn move back with a startled expression, but he calmed down upon seeing his liege. He turned to him and kneeled.

"Yes, m'lord?" he asked in a calm, collected voice. "What is it you require?"

"Martyn, my main man... May I join you for a conversation?"

The Listener looked at him a bit confused.

"You- Uh... Yes, yes, of course."

Ren sat on the wall next to him. The sun was barely on the rise, not strong enough to overshine the stars just yet. The king lifted his coat and covered his right hand man with it, shielding him from the chilly morning air.

"How are you... How are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm going great, my liege!" the shorter man's face lit up a little bit, although his exhaustion was still evident. "I talked with our weapon supplier and our explosives expert last night, and we'll probably be fully equipped by the next sunrise... I'm also closely monitoring the movements before Flower Valley inhabitants and people of the desert, and I-"

"Yes, yes, I know, Martyn. What I mean is... How are you doing...?"

The Listener bit his lip, he seemed startled by the question. He had no idea how to answer. The true answer would probably be the opposite of what he just stated. But he couldn't show weakness... Not in front of his king. His liege. His... Martyn shook his head and turned away.

"I'm doing... Fine. I'm just a little tired."

"A little?" Ren chuckled under his breath "Where did you last have proper, full-night sleep?"

"Well, I..." Martyn nervously chuckled, twirling a strand of his hair on his finger. The more Ren asked about his state of being, the more he started actually feeling it. He was absolutely drained, barely keeping himself up at this point. Still, showing weakness did not even seem like a possibility, despite how nice Ren had been to him all this time. He really looked out for his knight... So Martyn couldn't just disappoint him. "It was probably before I turned yellow... Stupid skeleton..."

"Probably mistook you for one of his people... You're kinda small, my dude" Ren smirked and playfully nudged Martyn's side with his elbow. The blond man let out a chuckle.

"Hey! It's not my fault I'm not as big and strong as you! I have other skills, you know it!"

"I do! You're the smart one around here" the king chuckled and this time poked his forehead. "But that big brain of yours needs a break sometimes, y'know what I'm saying? And you seem to be running on fumes..."

"I... Well, fine, I admit... My head feels heavier than it usually does" he chuckled.

"C'mon, let's get down... I'll make us some breakfast and you can take a nap, how about that?"

Martyn sighed and gently rested his body against Ren's. The dog's tail started wagging with excitement, feeling his knight so close to him filled him with excitement.

"Sounds good... But... Give me a moment, okay? It's so... Peaceful here..."

"Of course, my dude" Ren whispered and started gently stroking his hair.

At the sign of this tiny, caring gesture, the Listener immediately leaned into the touch. He didn't even realize how much he missed it. The feeling of the canine's big, warm hand on his skin was just so right... He crossed his legs and covered himself in Ren's coat, soaking in his scent. He smelled of sweet blood, fur and comfort. 

"You're literally so needy..." Ren noticed in a playful tone "Not that I mind... It's actually quite sweet..."

"You... You really like me, don't you...?"

The dog let out an amused huff.

"Of course! Was it not obvious to you already?" he rolled his eyes, clearly in a more teasing tone, rather than actually hurting. "You're like, my favorite man in the world, dude!"

"You like me so much you're breaking the character for me" Martyn smirked and pushed him gently. 

"Of course, my right hand man! None of these fools can push their Red King into showing his inner dawg... But you sure as hell can" he smirked and leaned over his friend. His hand landed just next to Martyn's thigh. Martyn nervously can. "You know what I mean...?"

"I may have an idea..."

Their playful banter was suddenly interrupted, when someone ran into the camp. Ren's ears perked up and he immediately straightened up.

"Eyes!"

Martyn refocused right away and grabbed his sabre, then jumped down the wall. At first he was ready to attack the intruder, until he noticed that it was actually one of their allies. 

"Skizz? What happened?" he asked, temporarily letting go of his weapon. Skizz stopped in the middle of the area, struggling to catch his breath after a long run. Just like the other red lifes, his skin had this strange, grey tint to it.

"These stupid desert jerks!" he groaned "They asked me to come to discuss truce... And they beat me up and stole my banner!"

"The Red Army banner?" Martyn huffed, clenching his hand on the hilt of his weapon yet again. "This won't stand... Why did you even want to reason with them?"

"Scarface promised me some reputation points if I came! And, well, they seemed nice enough!"

"Oh, yeah, surely" Martyn rolled his eyes, then looked back at Ren. The Red King slid down the wall, the golden crown on his head shining in the light of the rising sun. "What do we do, m'lord?"

"What a blasphemous act... This derision has to be paid for. And these scums will pay for it with blood." he growled in a low voice, which sent shivers down not only Martyn's spine. "Skizzleman, get our allies ready for a battle. We're heading out to retrieve the precious banner."

"On it, your highness!" Skizz saluted and ran towards the house. The Listener rubbed his face, struggling to collect his thoughts. Ren put a hand on his shoulder.

"You okay, my knight? You don't have to go with us, you look dead tired..."

"I'm fine. If this will start a war... You need your right hand man and your strategist close to you" Martyn nodded. "I'm just... Why do I have sucha strong déjà vu? Like it all happened at some point..."

"Did it?" Ren chuckled briefly.

"I don't... I don't think so. It's this feeling again... Like my own thoughts aren't mine... Give me a second, I need to focus" he huffed, leaning on his sabre which he stuck in the ground. Ren nodded. then carefully took off his coat and put it on his most loyal knight's arms. As he noticed his king walking away, Martyn hid his nose and his mouth in the heavy cloth, inhaling the safe scent. This moment of clarity was all he needed.

-

The desert on the far west side of the server was one of the most heavily guarded areas. The borders were protected by cacti and lava, not letting anyone too close. Most of the biome was fairly empty, but the one building of interest atop a hill was seen from a distance. The Monopoly Mountain, as the Sandland people called it, was easily the biggest, most appealing, but also hardest to reach target for anyone. Whoever reached it, could claim monopoly over sand and the most fortified place on the whole server.

As Red King and his army closed in on the area, it really did seem like they were expected - and not only by the Sandlanders. They were accompanied by members of the Crastle alliance and Flower valley inhabitants, as well. Martyn's brain went into overdrive again. It looked like it was going to be a battle of five against five, with red and yellow names on both sides of the conflict. He was the last yellow name of the Red Army - Ren, Skizz, Etho and Joel were all on red. Scar and Jimmy were already on their red lives and didn't look like they would let themselves be killed too easily. Tango and Cleo were still on yellow and at this point, Grian was the only green name left. They either had a chance to knock him down a peg and drop him to yellow or even red, or not engage in combat and hope that he would play by the rules and wouldn't get involved. But as far as they knew, Grian had no regard for the rules, so they couldn't just write him off the fight.

"Sand fools!" Ren called out in a booming voice "Have you committed the heinous act of tricking one of my men and stealing his banner!"

"Yeah! It's right here!" Scar raised the red banner above his hand and started waving it like a flag. "It'll look great on the top of our mountain!"

"Don't you dare!" Skizz growled, grabbing his sword.

Martyn decided to use the fact that nobody was looking at him. He sneaked up closer to Etho and leaned closer to him.

"Give me your bow. I can shoot down Grian from here. Cover me if needed."

"Got it" the tall, white-haired man nodded and handed Martyn his weapon. The Listener silently put an arrow on the string, readying himself for a shot. He knew he couldn't attack, his mind screamed at him that it was against the rules... But at that point, it didn't matter to him in the slightest.

"This disgrace will be paid for with blood!" Ren scoffed, throwing down his coat to ready himself for a fight. "Let us in, you scums! And do not hide like the cowards you are!"

"Or what?" Grian smirked "You come to us, if you wanna fight so b-"

Then, a quiet whistle of the string cut through the air.

At the same moment, an arrow hit Grian right in the throat.

The parrot let out a startled, gurgling sound, as his own blood blocked his breathing. Before he could even drop to the ground, the triumphant message of his demise popped up on everyone's wristband.

Grian was shot by InTheLittleWood.

Ren let out amused laughter and turned towards his best knight, who slowly lowered the weapon. His expression was focused, but triumphant.

"Oh, this won't stand! Guys, let's go!" Scar called out, grabbing his own sword.

The battle immediately turned into a chaotic blur of blood, clanging metal and screams. Someone dropped some water on the ground - some of the lava hardened into stone, letting both sides of the conflict engage in bloodshed. Arrows flew, hitting both the Red Army and their enemies. The carnage was imminent. At some point someone would lose their focus, trip, succumb to their wounds...

Martyn huffed as Cleo's sword almost cut him in half. He jumped away, then charged right back, gritting his teeth. He managed to slash her side, and the zombie let out a painful groan. 

"You can't defeat me" he huffed, repositioning himself. "Why are you even here? Isn't half of your group allied with us?"

"Are they, really?" Cleo smirked. "With buncha brutes like you?"

The Listener was suddenly hit with a realization. He narrowly avoided another hit, then lunged at his opponent again. The sabre cut right into the zombie's arm. Cleo recoiled in pain, giving Martyn a short window of opportunity to take in everything that was going on. Scar and Ren were tied into a violent dance of bloodlust, repeatedly launching deadly attacks on each other. Skizz and Jimmy didn't really look like they were fighting - more so, Skizz was chasing the other Listener, trying to pin him down. Etho and Joel gathered around Tango, trying to overwhelm the blazeborn. Grian was nowhere to be seen... Until a stray arrow suddenly hit the ground right under Martyn's feet. And it flew from Monopoly Mountain.

"Crap..." he huffed. "Skizz! Capture Grian! Joel, take care of Jimmy and don't let him escape!" the blond man called out in a collected, commanding tone.

"On it!" Joel huffed, kicking Tango's weapon away.

"No need! I'm finishing it right here and now!" Skizz let out a maniacal laugh, then jumped at Jimmy and pinned him to the ground with his shoe. The other Listener squealed in pain, a crack of his bones could be heard. "G'night, Jimmy Jiggles!"

"Martyn!-" Jimmy called out in a last-ditch effort to get help. Because he could even reach out, Skizz's sword suddenly stabbed right through his back. The canary's desperate cry for help was replaced with a gurgling, fleeting breath. Then, he limply dropped to the ground.

Solidarity was slain by Skizzleman.

A distant sound of thunder could be heard.

Then, for just a moment, the battlefield went quiet.

Usually, when someone died, their body turned into smoke and they went back to life in their base. But Jimmy was on his red life... Which meant he actually died. Like, died died. His dead body was just laying there, with Skizz standing over it with a satisfied expression. However, his smile quickly dropped as the realization dawned on him.

"He... He's..." he whispered, his voice starting to tremble.

"Jimmy..." Martyn gasped, dropping his weapon to the ground. The one person that protected him from the moment they first met, and was nothing but nice to him despite not being allied... Gone, just like that. He wanted to approach his dead friend, but his body froze in shock. He couldn't move, couldn't speak further than letting out an incoherent mess of emotions. This wasn't how it was supposed to go... Why were they even killing each other...? What, or who pushed them to commit this...?

Martyn did not expect to be answered. However, in just a moment, all of his doubts were dispelled.

In a second, which felt like eternity, a tall, winged creature appeared right next to Jimmy. And then another, and another, and another. A circle of mysterious figures surrounded Jimmy - and Skizz, who was still standing close to him - yet nobody but Martyn was able to see them. They raised their wings, enveloping the fallen warrior in feathers and shielding him from the wall. Then, the blond man's body started turning into dust, which the wind quickly blew away. The only thing that remained on the ground was his flower crown.

The moment Jimmy disappeared, the winged creatures looked at the players, as if closely inspecting their actions. At first they seemed rather disinterested, before they came upon Martyn. Despite their eyes being covered with lesser wings, it really did feel like they were staring right at him. The Listener opened his mouth, but couldn't let out a single sound. 

 He saw them, and they knew he did.

Their indifferent faces were, for just a moment, crossed with a ton of emotions. Surprise. Shock. Anger. Fury, even. But also, cold curiosity. One of the creatures raised their hand towards Martyn, who felt as if air was being drained from his lungs.

"Don't stare into the abyss for too long, Listener."

"You-" Martyn managed to pant out. The Watchers turned away from him and enveloped themselves in their wings, then dissolved into thin air. 

"Martyn! Watch out!"

Suddenly, the world around him sped up again. Cleo's blade was inches from cutting off his arm. Before the slash could connect, Ren ran up to them and attacked the zombie. With a disgusting sound of tissue being torn and bones breaking, the zombie's head was detached from the rest of the body and fell to the ground.

ZombieCleo was slain by Renthedog.

But it wasn't over. Cleo was now on red... And so was Tango, who Ren hit right after killing the zombie.

TangoTek was slain by Renthedog.

Martyn desperately gasped for air, the situation getting too intense for him. His brain was screaming at him to abandon the battlefield, to run, to save his skin... But how? It wasn't just his enemies that were the danger... 

 Seeing the Watchers sent his mind into a frenzy. A flood of questions barged into his head, making his vision foggy and his breathing strained. He couldn't even register what was happening around him. In a state of daze, where he didn't even try to protect himself, he walked over towards the lone flower crown. The sounds of fighting seemed distant, almost unreal to him. They were just here a second ago... He grabbed the flower crown, the petals falling from his grasp. 

"You... You... " he huffed, barely keeping the tears at bay. He looked up, towards Monopoly Mountain. Despite standing hundreds of feet away, it felt like he locked eyes with Grian. He was one of them , he started all of this... In a blind rage, not even holding a weapon, he sprinted towards the mountain.

"Martyn! Wait!" Ren called out to him, barely defending himself from Scar's attack.

"I'm goin' after him!" Skizz called out, running right after Martyn. He caught the sabre that Ren grabbed from the sand and tossed him.

"We need support!" Scar called out to Cleo and Tango, who were running back towards the desert.

"On it!" Tango yelled right back.

Martyn's enhanced hearing caught all of their yelling, but it didn't register in his mind. He didn't see Skizz, who was following him closely. He didn't even notice his own heart beating out of his own chest, his lungs struggling for air, his legs sinking into the deep, golden sand. He didn't take his eyes off Grian for even a second.

"You... You!" he yelled, jumping right at his opponent. An arrow barely missed hitting him in the head, and the Listener pushed him to the ground. "YOU! We're doing this all because of you! Why are the Watchers here? What do you want?!"

"You ask me as if you don't know" Grian huffed, struggling to breathe as he was pinned to the ground.

Another sound of thunder could be heard overhead. While running up the hill, Skizz was almost ambushed by Cleo, but managed to outstrength the zombie. 

ZombieCleo was slain by Skizzleman.

The sound of thunder made Martyn recoil in half-terror, half-pain. He didn't turn towards the newly appearing Watchers, but he could feel their stares all over him.

"The abyss may stare back..."

"Mart! Watch out!" Skizz barely managed to defend his friend from Grian, who pulled out his own sword and pounced at him. The Listener scrambled back, as he noticed his friend try to shield him...

And fail.

Skizzleman was slain by Grian.

"SKIZZ!-" Martyn huffed in shock, seeing his friend dropped to the ground, impaled by Grian's sword. Immediately, a swarm of Watchers surrounded the dead man. But before they tended to him, all of them turned towards Martyn.

"...and take your watchful eyes."

"F-fuck... Have you not had enough fun with me? Now you're making us kill each other?!" he growled, pushing himself off the ground and grabbing his sabre, which landed on sand right next to him. His hands were shaking, when he pointed his weapon at the winged figures. "And all of that, to reach your goal?"

"How do you..." Grian huffed, then turned towards the Watchers. "He's a Listener, he shouldn't be able to know!-"

That actually was a good question. Martyn's brain blanked for just a second. Again, this awful feeling of his thoughts not coming from his own head... He knew what the Watchers wanted, but it felt like he shouldn't. Like he shouldn't even have a chance to learn. He forgot so much after being cast down... Why did he remember their goal, even if the mouth of his mortal shell was not able to articulate it? His brain flashed back to The Midway. To be plunged down into the abyss. To the strange feeling, of being flooded with knowledge of everything that ever was, is and possibly will be. He knew . More than his mind was letting him process, most likely. 

The Watchers did not seem phased.

"He's bluffing. Don't try and fight us, Listener. You were cast down for a reason. Don't look up too high, or you might be blinded by our radiance. End him, Admin."

"With pleasure" Grian huffed and opened his wings, running straight at the Listener. 

 That immediately jolted Martyn back into reality, knocking him out of the awful feeling as if his body and mind split into two. He tightened his grip on the weapon and blocked the attack. The bleak sun reflcted from the weapon right into the parrot's eyes. Grian groaned from pain and took a step back. Martyn laughed triumphantly.

"Ha! I'm not the one who's getting blinded!" he grinned, then turned towards the Watcher and pointed his sabre right at them. "And you... I know exactly what you are. And I won't quit until me and my friends are safe from your clutches- Until the whole Alliance falls!"

"KILL HIM!" the Watchers' roar boomed down the mountainside. Grian immediately got up and lunged himself at his opponent, knocking him down Monopoly Mountain.

The Listener tumbled down the hill, hitting the rough sand on the way multiple times. Ren immediately noticed his knight falling and sprinted towards him, to hopefully break his fall. Martyn could feel the all-seeing eyes, staring down his descent. It felt just as it did back in the sanctuary...

But this time, he had someone waiting for him at the bottom. 

"Martyn!" The king ran up to him and caught him, hiding his closely ally in his embrace. He then turned towards the rest of the Red Army "Retreat!"

"Yessir! Retreat, guys!" Joel called out, the remaining knights crossing the opened border of the desert and running back towards Dogwarts.

"R-Ren... We need to stop them..." Martyn huffed, pushing himself off Ren and trying to stand on his own two feet. He was beaten up and bruised all over, with sand getting everywhere. 

"No, Martyn, we'll finish this fight another day! We can't lose you too!"

"I'm not talking about Scar and Grian! I'm talking about-"

Suddenly, a whistle of air crossed the area. An arrow hit Martyn right in the throat, making him drop to the ground. The support that Scar called for came, and it definitely delivered. The knight dropped on the sand, his blood marking the earth beneath him. He then puffed into a cloud of smoke.

InTheLittleWood was shot by ImpulseSV.

***

But Martyn did not wake up back in Dogwarts.

His eyes were already used to seeing The Midway. He immediately turned around, as if wanting to see who casted him there yet again - although he already knew the answer. He grabbed his sabre, despite knowing fully well it wouldn't hurt the Watchers one bit. Then, as if on command, a swarm of winged creatures surrounded him from every side.

"HOW do you know?"  the Watchers didn't leave him even a second to think. The blond man smirked, hiding the fact that he didn't even know the answer.

"Does it matter? I will take you down. This is for forcing me and so many people into this... This bloodbath! And all of this, just to create a new meaning of life?"

"Silence! You will be purged from all your knowledge. You WILL beg us for mercy. Don't try to oppose us, Listener."

Martyn looked right in the eyes of the Watcher, a mischievous smirk appearing on his face. If he was going to be burdened with knowledge he didn't ask for... Then at least he could burden the Watchers with himself.

"It's Martyn to you, scums. And Ren said it's a really nice name, y'know?"

Before the swarm of feathers and claws could attack him, Martyn jolted awake in his bed back in Dogwarts. At first he struggled to catch his breath, still feeling the phantom pain of where the lethal arrow hit him. His vision was blurry and tinted red. He was on his last, red life... Before he could pull himself from his bed, Ren stormed into the room and immediately hugged him.

"Martyn! I'm so sorry, it wasn't meant to go like that..."

"It's fine, really" Martyn huffed and leaned into the strong hug. "How is the Army doing?"

"The enemy is right under our gates... But, do you remember what you told me back in the desert? What did you mean by, we need to fight them ?"

"The Watchers, Ren..." Martyn huffed, leaning on the dog to recollect his strength. "They're the ones that keep us trapped here. They're dangerous... And they're after me. They know that I know. We need to stop them..."

"Watchers...?" Ren whispered, clearly very confused. Suddenly, another thunder roared over the server.

Ethoslab was shot by ImpulseSV.

"We're all alone now..." Martyn huffed, then put his hands on Ren's cheeks. "Ren, you trust me, right? We have to win this... If we do, I'm sure there's a way to stop the Watchers!"

"I..." Ren stopped for a moment. It all sounded so crazy and impossible... But would his most loyal knight, his right hand man, his beloved lie to him in a moment like this? He gripped Red Winter and put his forehead against Martyn's. "I do. Now, let's end those fools."

"With pleasure" Martyn smirked. Despite still lacking strength, he pushed himself off Ren and ran towards the door of their home.

***

The fight immediately moved inside of Dogwarts. Despite his strength being completely depleted, Martyn moved with the speed of a cheetah purely thanks to the adrenaline buzzing in his system. He immediately locked in on the one that ended his life last time.

"There goes our weapon dealer!" he laughed, launching an attack which left a large, bleeding wound on Impulse's shoulder. The man recoiled in pain, holding up his own axe.

"You really think I wanted to be allies with you?" he huffed, trying his best to hit Martyn. The Listener was too quick, too nimble to let even a single hit land on him. "You never realized it was just a trick?"

"Doesn't matter, you're going down anyways!" Martyn smirked, slashin the air right in front of himself and cutting through the man's throat. The cloud of smoke, which he left after dying, flew right into the blond man's lungs, straining his breathing. It didn't stop him for even a second, however. "Hey, Tango! You're next, another traitor!"

"W-we can talk this out, Martyn!" the blazeborn huffed, moving back.

"Naaah, I don't feel like much of a talker right now" Martyn smirked, tackling the taller man into the wall and finishing him off with another hit.

TangoTek was slain by InTheLittleWood.

"Stop right there!" he heard Scar's voice, almost drawn out by the loud thunder. Martyn licked the blood off his lips and turned towards his enemy. His face immediately paled when he noticed that both Grian and Scar managed to apprehend Ren, pinning him to the ground with an arrow pointing to his heart. "Drop your weapon, or the dog dies."

Without a second thought, Martyn dropped his blood-stained sabre. His mind was pulsating from all of the sensations that were hitting him all at once. He was so single minded on the win... He didn't even stop to protect the one he was doing all of this for. He groaned and raised his hands.

"Scar, listen to me..." he pleaded. "You don't have to do this... We need to stop killing each other. This is exactly what they want..."

"Who?" Scar tilted his head. Grian growled under his breath.

"He's bluffin'. He wants you to let Ren go. Finish him off."

"Finish who off?"

"The- what?" Grian turned towards him. "What do you mean?"

"Who do you mean by him ? I can shoot Ren, or Martyn or-"

"Oh gosh, Scar... Ren! Kill Ren!"

"Oh... Got it!"

"Don't you dare!" Martyn growled and jumped right at Grian, tackling him to the ground. He wanted to pull Grian down, get to Ren, disarm Scar...

But he was too slow.

Going against his orders, Scar shot an arrow right towards Martyn. It pierced though his hand and pinned him to the ground. The Listener let out a painful scream, as he was knocked off Grian. Then, another arrow hit Ren right in the heart. The canine reached out to his last ally, but his eyes immediately went dim.

"No! Ren!" Martyn cried out, pulling the arrow from his hand and scrambling up.

The Watchers immediately swarmed around both of them. Martyn grabbed his king by the hand, desperately clinging to the fleeting heat of his body. His mind went quiet, focusing on his beloved slowly blowing away into dust. He didn't even register a lethal arrow pierced right through his own chest. He dropped right next to Ren, their blood mixing on the grass into one.

***

But the Watchers would not let him rest.

This time, instead of waking up in the abyss, he found himself high above ground. Many meters under him, he noticed Scar and Grian getting off his and Ren's crumbling corpses. The Listener had a hard time catching his breath, his tears almost suffocating him.

"No... No, no, no no no no... Damnit!"

"This is what happens when you oppose us, Listener."

Martyn turned around right away. This time, it wasn't just several Watchers surrounding him. The whole sky was covered with their huge, overwhelming wings. And all of their covered stares were pointed right at him. Only one of them moved their mouths, but it sounded like thousands of voices speaking.

"One cannot stop the all seeing eyes from witnessing one's downfall. Halt your efforts, before you will face our wrath."

"You wish" Martyn huffed, his expression getting stern and full of hatred. "You don't wanna face my wrath! You cast me down, abandon me and force me and my friends to kill each other! C'mon, face me now! I will take down every single one of you! And I will not rest until you're all gone! I know exactly what you are!"

But the Watchers did not answer him. Instead, all of their gazes turned towards Sandland.

In the very heart of the place, Monopoly Mountain lasted in stasis.

At the edge of Monopoly Mountain, a cactus ring was formed.

And inside of the ring, a singular corpse was laying, beaten up and prickled to death.

"What... What? Grian...?"

Martyn whispered, as he also turned to face the last of the carnage. Grian was standing at the very edge of the hill, his expression indifferent. The Watchers swarmed him, and pulled Martyn with them, as if to witness it with them. The Listener could feel his immaterial body shaking.

"What do you wish for, winner?"

Grian took a small huff, then rubbed his temples.

"This game brought us invaluable data... We have to continue. We have to keep this cycle going. We have to see how much we can get out of these people. For the cause of the Alliance."

"So is your wish one of stagnation, winner?"

Grian bit his lip. 

"Stagnation is a strange word to use, but, I guess... Fine. It is. Let the games continue, as long as there is more to witness."

"Yours will be done."

***

It both felt like a second and a hundred years passed. Martyn slowly woke up on soft, wet grass. The sun was barely done rising over the horizon. The Listener rubbed his temples, trying to recollect his thoughts. It felt like so much just happened, but suddenly he was back to life, back in a forest...

But this time, he didn't wake up alone.

His hand tightened on a big, warm hand laying on his own. He turned to face Ren, who was laying on the grass with a relaxed expression.

"There he is, my favorite man..." he huffed and smiled gently. "How are you feelin'...?"

"I... I don't know" Martyn admitted with an embarrassed smile. "I... I missed you..."

"I missed you too" Ren whispered and pulled him closer. Martyn landed on his friend's chest. "Let's stay here for a minute longer, okay? Before we have to start killing each other again, ey?"

Martyn nervously chuckled, but his worry quickly started to dissipate. He put his nose against Ren's neck, inhaling his safe scent. At least this time he wasn't alone... And he wasn't going to face the Watchers alone. Not anymore.

"Yeah... You're right. The world can wait."